Both Sides of the Same Coin
by Daktasinsanity
Summary: Eren is a werewolf, captured by humans for experiments, and wakes up in a cell that he soon realizes he's sharing with a vampire. The two work together to get out of their unpleasant prison but the price for their freedom may end up being too high. How will they cope with the consequences of the choices they have made?
1. Chapter 1

_**AN:**__This story is based on a prompt that I received on Tumblr when asking for some ideas. _

_**Here is the prompt:** What if Eren is captured by humans, and he wakes up in a cell. He learns that he has a neighbor - vamp, Levi. They are being "examined" by humans, have various tests, and Levi is weakening and so is Eren so they make a temporary truce and decide to run away. They manage to escape somehow..._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 1<strong>_

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><p>The sound of dripping water, as it rained, kept disturbing Levi's attempt to sleep. He had not slept well ever since he had been brought here. The noisy drumming of water drops against the ground outside had woken him up. To him it seemed as if the noise was inside his head, driving him crazy. He had never liked rain. Now he was forced to listen to its sound without a choice.<p>

He peered around the room to see if there was any way to tell time but the clouds cast shadows and no sunlight in sight. It could already be night time. Levi closed his eyes with a sigh. There was nothing else to do than sleep anyway. He only could wait and hope to be left alone. Rescue was not coming and he knew that.

When Levi woke up, there was no sound of rain but even after sleeping he was still exhausted. He had no idea how long he had been here exactly and what was the point of him still being alive. He would not admit to it if asked but he was having very dark thoughts about accepting the fact that he would die sooner than later in this dirty, smelly prison cell of his but he would let them know that. Not in all of his years had he experienced such a time when he had felt that the days just dragged on, taunting him with their slow cycles from darkness to light.

Not to mention the ever present feeling of hunger. He was so hungry that he was ready to do almost anything to get a bite, anything that did not involve him getting experimented on. He had been having staring contests with his prison guard, stalking him like prey. Levi could see the fear in that man's eyes when he could stare at him unblinkingly for the whole time. Countless times he had imagined how he would rip that guy's head off and dance in the rain of his blood. He was not extremely violent by nature but these guys had him thinking of such wonderful thoughts. He would not hold back if he ever had the chance. He would suck that motherfucker dry with pleasure. He would make sure the guard would suffer as much as he had.

Levi's stomach growled in agreement. He hoped there would soon be something to munch on, like a werewolf filled with juicy, fresh blood, topped with cute eyes and fluffy pair of ears.

Wait a minute.

Levi was sure he was hallucinating but while he slept there had been an addition to his cell. He must have been sleeping soundly not to notice the cell door opening and closing. Levi cursed in his thoughts of his apparent failure to keep track of his surroundings while sleeping. Before being captured he had prided himself on his ability to wake up to any odd sound he heard that was not supposed to be there. No one had snuck upon him for a century at least.

This mouth watering addition was a young werewolf, sitting on the only part of the floor that was basking in sunlight. The werewolf was watching Levi carefully. The calm was only a facade. Levi could see that the werewolf was ready to fight if Levi tried to make a hostile move. He had to admit that if he tried to make a move on the werewolf in his current state, he'd sorely lose the fight. The werewolf looked healthy and the sound of his young, beating heart kept taunting at Levi.

Levi could almost hear the blood coursing through those veins. With each pump the blood flowed. His prey was right there in front of him but Levi knew it would be foolhardy to try anything. Inwardly he laughed at himself as he knew that it would come down to the decision of either trying to eat and keep himself as a puppet for these weird fellows who ran experiments on him or he could find his peace of mind and die at the hands of this werewolf.

He had a choice.

He finally had a choice that he could make.

The werewolf was looking at him with narrowed eyes, full of suspicion. Levi could not blame him at all. The guy was smart, sitting in the sun._ That is the only thing keeping you alive_, he almost said out loud. It wouldn't be smart to anger the wolf boy unless he wanted to die. Levi was still contemplating that choice and he did not want to make it hastily, no. He had to have some time to think if there was any other way out of this situation.

He could always try to get the werewolf on his side but what good would that do? Was there something he knew about werewolves that could be useful? More than anything, his mind kept screaming him to just bite him. Levi's mouth was parched with the lack of eating anything and the heart beat just a few feet away from him had his fangs extend themselves in anticipation to what was coming.

Needless to say, Levi was not exactly in his right mind to make any kind of decisions. He needed blood, he needed to eat to get his head straight. He wondered if the wolf would let him have some if he asked nicely?

As if the werewolf had known what he was thinking, the furry eared man said, "If you touch me, I'll kill you."

So much for being nice. Levi gritted his teeth, baring his fangs to the werewolf for a split second. That damn cub was observing him and Levi did not like it. He settled for glaring at the werewolf.

It was apparent that there was only one reason why this creature has been locked in here with him.

They wanted him to eat him.

But Levi was not fooled that easily. There had to be a catch. If he wanted to survive he'd get enough of food from this werewolf to do so but it would not give him back his full strength, no. He would need much more blood to regain that aspect of himself.

He saw what this was for. The people who had captured him wanted to keep him alive but not give him a chance to escape. Levi saw no other option than somehow get blood out of the werewolf. That meant he would be rushing in for a certain death. The werewolf was much stronger than he was and with that threat of his, Levi did not wonder even for a second if he'd be able to survive.

Levi licked the back of his fangs, trying to keep calm. He did not want to play into the hands of those people. He did not know exactly what they needed him for in the first place? Levi remembered the foolish way he had been captured in the dead of a night.

Those people were smart. They had set a trap for him to lure him in and drug him long enough to push him into a cage lined with silver on the inside. They had kept him locked up for weeks without any food until he was too weak to fight them. They had been sneaky. They had moved him during the day, giving him a cloak to cover him from the sun. Levi knew that if he had lashed out right there and then, it would have hurt him more than them.

Sun was a bitch.

That was the first things he had been experimented on. They had come into his cell. They had restrained him and shoved his hand into the sun.

They watched his skin burn. They watched as it blistered under the scorching heat.

"_How long does it take to kill a vampire exposed to sunlight?"_

"_I don't know!" Levi cried frantically as his hand was on fire, he could swear it was literal too even if there was no manifestation of flames to be seen. _

"_How long!?"_

"_Few hours at most!"_ he had finally answered and they had let him go. Levi had several times since then looked at the hand that had been burned. The sunlight was the only thing that he knew to leave such scars that now adorned the back of his hand. Those scars would never fade. He would heal from any other kind of damage without much of a problem but sunlight was much more deadlier force than anything else that had ever been inflicted upon him. They had cut him, burned him with silver but none of those marks were left on his body.

He might have considered ending his life by standing in the sunlight within his own cell. There was a window near the ceiling that cast large enough spotlight for someone to sit in, as the werewolf was demonstrating to him right now, but it would be long and painful death. That was not the death he wanted. It better be quick and painful. He did not accept anything beyond that.

The werewolf shifted, tilting its head to the side. Levi almost whined as he felt the strong urge to sink his teeth into that neck that was practically presented to him. 'Practically' meaning on the other side of the cell. He wanted to take a deep breath but resisted the urge. He did not want to give that sneaky creature anymore clues to how close to the edge of losing his mind he really was.

Levi closed his eyes. If he did not see it, it didn't exist.

That pulsing vein under that soft skin.

Levi licked his lips.

He could do it. He could just sit here and ignore that sound he heard. He'd pretend it was the sound of the rain. He'd make himself believe that and he'd be able to get through this.

A few feet away from him the werewolf was having the same kind of thought patterns but about surviving a possible vampire attack. Eren had been drugged by a bunch of shady looking guys. He had been spending his Friday night in a rather normal way for someone of his age. He hadn't been doing anything illegal or certainly not anything dangerous. He had been tailed for days or so they had told him when he had woken up in some sort of carriage, chained up to his teeth.

Eren did not know why they had targeted him._"We'll make a good use out of you."_ That's what they had said and Eren had not liked the tone they used one bit either. Out of all the possibilities he would have never thought he'd end up in a dungeon cell with a slumbering vampire. He had been waiting for the past few hours for the blood sucking monster to wake up. All his life he had been told that vampires were devils that would kill for all their victims by sucking them dry. Eren had found the things his father taught him just a bit suspicious when Armin had once pointed out that if vampires were that bad, why was it so peaceful in the human world?

Eren was not sure if he should believe his father or Armin right now. The man had woken and up had already been eyeing him like he was the most delicious piece of meat on the face of the earth. Eren had seen those sharp fangs of his and they did not look inviting at all. Eren had been expecting the vampire to attack him and, truth to be told, he still was. Eren had not wasted his time as he had been observing the vampire. One thing was sure, that pale man was hungry. That was why Eren could not understand why it had not attacked him yet?

Was it the sun?

Eren had sat down in the warmth of the sun just in case when he had noticed the notorious scent of a vampire emitting from the man sleeping soundly under the window. He had looked harmless enough while resting his head on his arms on top his knees. With the little knowledge Eren had about vampires, he had taken the precaution of sitting in the sun. Eren was not liking the way the sun light was fading slowly.

On the other side of the cell Levi was doing fine, his eyes closed, the sun was setting and he had willed himself not to move. He did not think about what the night would bring. He did not let his thoughts go there.

He was fine until he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside the cell block that he was trapped in. Levi raised his head in full alert to see what was going to happen.

A group of people entered the space around the cell. The lead scientist who was a vicious woman walked up to the prison guard. She was protected by two men. They had rifles in their hands.

Levi pondered if they were finally going to shoot him. Heck, in this state that he was in it might actually kill him if he was shot right in the heart. His body was too weak already to heal serious wounds. Last time he had been abused had proved that even small cuts were taking time to heal, when they should have healed in a flash. So maybe this was his lucky day and he'd be rid of this miserable thing called life.

But things did not go as he expected, not at all.

"He has not touched him yet. He hasn't moved since we brought the mutt in," the guard, who had been here for quite some time now, said He was talking to that evil woman of this group of evil people. They were evil as far as Levi was concerned. Levi could not understand why they had picked him as their target for experiments. He had never killed any humans! Okay, maybe he was lying but none of these people had been alive the last time he had killed someone out of necessity. He did not kill people meaninglessly and certainly not for food. He was capable of eating what he needed without killing. Last time he had taken a life he had been protecting his clan. It had been a war that had caused so many meaningless deaths on both sides.

Well that was then and this was now.

The woman in charge, walked to side of the cell, looking at Levi. "Why have you not eaten, vampire?" Her words carried animosity towards him every time she spoke. Levi was just another vampire to her.

Levi chose not to answer if it meant they'd kill him faster.

The woman narrowed her eyes. "Not answering? Are you too hungry to talk?" she taunted him.

Levi just looked at her with bored eyes before shifting his gaze on to the werewolf.

"Shoot the werewolf in the leg," the woman ordered the man on her right.

Eren had no chance to dodge the incoming shot. He tried to move but did not make it in time.

Levi's eyes widened as he watched the werewolf gasp as blood spilled from his leg. It would be ridiculous to say the world stopped for Levi but in a way it did. The smell of fresh blood hit him like a ton of bricks.

It was as if the world had gone into slow motion.

Levi experienced every millisecond as if they were painstakingly long like hours. The blood pumped out of the leg, staining the fabric of his pants and falling on the floor as the werewolf clutched his injured leg with a cry passing his lips.

Levi could smell each drop.

Before he could stop himself he was on the move. He came to his senses for a moment, realizing what he was about to do when he grabbed the bloodied leg of the werewolf. Levi was kneeling next to him, his back facing the people outside the cell.

He met the green eyes with his own.

He saw fear in the werewolf's green orbs. He held the gaze and saw a question in those eyes. The werewolf had every right to kill him now as he had touched him. But Levi was neither biting him yet nor had the werewolf made a move to killed Levi yet either. Why?

They stared at each other. Levi was trying to convey that his intentions were not as bad as they seemed. Levi was crazy enough to think that if he saved the poor wolf boy from losing his leg to infection, they might forge a truce. Just maybe there was a way for them to get out of this hell hole. It was a gamble but Levi wanted to give it a shot. He could only hope the werewolf would not lash out at him. A wounded animal was the most dangerous kind of animal.

Levi made a small nod towards the werewolf in a way he hoped was reassuring, before his tongue darted out of his mouth, past his lips as he licked the blood off the skin. The sweetness of the blood elicited a soft moan out of Levi. It had been too long since he ate anything. He kept his eyes on the werewolf's as he closed his lips over the wound, sucking on the piece of flesh. He felt the bullet against his tongue. It was not deep in the wound and Levi carefully removed it with his teeth. The werewolf was whimpering. There were streams of tears coming down the boy's face. Levi knew it hurt. He saw no other option than sinking his fangs into the surrounding flesh.

Levi knew his bite would make the werewolf feel good. He would make him forget the pain and replace it with pleasure. It took only a few seconds for the werewolf to moan. It was not a moan of pain.

"He bit him! Good job, Geoffrey," the woman said somewhere behind them. "We can't have him dying on us just yet."

Levi let his eyes fall shut as the rich flavour of blood slid past his tongue once again. He was feeling just as good as the werewolf was. The starvation had only made feeding feel so much better. The trance he entered was brief but all the more satisfying.

He yanked his mouth off the leg. The werewolf whimpered again as Levi licked the wound close. His leg was already healing under Levi's tongue. He gently lowered his leg back down, licking his lips and reliving the short moment of bliss inside his head. Levi's movements were slow and precise as he left the wolf boy alone, returning to his spot under the window and hid in the shadows.

"That wasn't so bad now was it?" the woman laughed at Levi. "Ooh, look!" she exclaimed, pointing at the leg of the werewolf. "He healed the wound! I didn't know that was possible," she sounded astonished and scribbled notes down on a small pad that she had always with her.

"Tell me how does it feel to eat after two months of starvation?" the woman asked, looking at Levi expectantly.

Levi refused to speak to her. He would not describe the deliciousness of the heaven he had experienced. The feeling of a mouthful of blood that he thought he would not feel ever again. He drew his knees up and wrapped his arms around them. He hid his face from the others and let a smile spread on his face. There was a buzz in his ears and he felt the energy surging through his veins. He could not help but let it show on his face how good he felt and how happy he was.

He still tasted the blood in his mouth and he lapped his tongue over the smooth surfaces of his teeth. He fought back the chuckle of happiness that wanted to escape from his throat. He felt as if he was waking from a long dream. His mind was suddenly clear as the cloudless sky. He could still here the frantic beating of the werewolf's heart but he no longer felt the urge to eat.

Levi stayed unmoving from his spot in the shadows as the scientist woman tried to get answers from either of the occupants in the cell without any success. With a promise to come back later the people left them alone with the guard who resumed his post in the corner.

Levi was surprised to hear the werewolf moving towards him. Levi did not dare to move as he listened to the soft shuffling noises getting closer.

As quietly as he could, the werewolf spoke to him, "Why did you not suck me dry?"

Levi tilted his head to the side so that he could peer over his arm at the green eyes locked on him. Should he answer that? Levi stole a glance at the guard of theirs who didn't seem to have heard the question.

Levi looked at the werewolf lazily. He was coming down from his high and felt relaxed. The wolf boy seemed anxious to know what he had been thinking. "Was there a point to kill you?" he asked softly. His own voice sounded a bit alien to him as he had not used it for a week at least.

The werewolf looked confused as if Levi had said something that he was not supposed to say.

Levi sighed, closing his eyes. He'd rather enjoy this content feeling in silence, savouring it as long as it lasted. The werewolf had different plans, though.

"They said you have been starving," the young wolf pointed out. "I thought you'd go berserk."

Levi stayed silent as the boy talked to him in low whispers. The werewolf was sitting a foot away. Levi could so easily just snatched a hold of him and feast upon his blood but he would not do that and he had a feeling that the werewolf knew that.

Eren took in the haggard appearance of the vampire. "How long have you been here?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Five months or so. I'm not entirely sure," Levi answered. He had not really kept a calender but the seasons had changed from early spring to summer and by the frequent occurrence of heavy rain, it was probably fall already.

The werewolf seemed to be truly amazed for a moment but then his features got dark. "I do not want to spend that much time here."

"Me neither but here I am," Levi stated, feeling of sadness finding its way into his chest. He had never wanted to go home this badly. He even missed his crazy uncle. "More than anything, I want to get out of here." Levi contemplated if he should share his thoughts with the werewolf or not. He had nothing to lose other than his life which he had been ready to lose. Even if he told every secret he knew to the boy, it would do the werewolf no good because Levi doubted that either of them would survive to go home.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

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><p>Eren was regarding the vampire who had fallen silent once again after their brief conversation. Eren wondered how he had stayed sane for being held captive for such a long time. Eren had yet to return to the other side of the cell and so he scooted closer to the wall, sitting along side of the blood sucking monster his father had always told him to stay away from. "Why have you not escaped yet? Aren't vampires supposed to be strong?" Eren asked quietly, careful so that the guard did not hear him.<p>

Levi smiled bitterly. "Yes, but they know that and keep me in a state of starvation as much as possible. Even if I sucked all your blood, I would not reach my full strength anymore." It had been too long since he had ate normally. Admitting that fact to someone else made him feel utterly useless. "So, if you want to kill me, you can do it at any point. I can't fight you even if I wanted to." He had reached the bottom of his life. He was powerless like a newborn child.

Eren heard the obvious exhaustion in the vampire's voice. The man had been defeated on a physical level by these people. No wonder he had not attacked Eren. He grimaced as he thought how the fight with the vampire would be nothing but one sided bloodbath. In order to get out of the cell it was clear that the vampire needed blood. Eren could not say that he knew much about vampires but there had to be a way for him to regain his strength. Eren wasn't strong enough by himself to get out of here.

They would have to work together and it would require a great deal of trust on Eren's part. Maybe he was reckless when he spoke the next words, "But what if you fed from me little by little?" He would not know if the vampire would just use him but this was his only chance. Eren could only hope he would not come to regret this decision.

Levi did a double take. Had the wolf boy just said that he was willing to feed him? How messed up in the head was this wolf boy? Levi mulled the suggestion over. The idea of slowly regaining his strength was not a bad one but did he have the patience for that? He didn't want to spend any time here more than what was necessary. "That might work but it would take too long if we want to escape from here as soon as possible. I need to get blood in much faster pace," Levi said. "That would only be possible if..." he fell silent as the sudden thought entered his mind. No, he was insane to even think of that. That would be the last option he would use. No he would not bond with the werewolf in order to get out of here.

"If what?" The werewolf's voice was full of haste to get the answer out of him.

"Okay," Levi whispered. He might just as well tell him what he just came up with. The solution was simple but not an easy one. "I'll explain this to you once so you better listen up," Levi turned slightly towards the werewolf.

The young wolf was keenly hanging on every word he said.

"The only way we get out of here is for me to get my strength back and to be able to gain that I'll need more blood than there is in your system at the present time. There is one very simple solution to this problem," Levi said. "I need to bond with you. By binding our life forces together your body will start producing blood faster for my sake. Mated vampires hardly ever eat from humans because their mates provide the blood they need." Levi watched the reaction on the werewolf's face carefully. As he thought, it was a crazy suggestion.

The young wolf stared at him for a moment silently, eyes wide. "Are you sure that will work?"

"No," Levi admitted.

"You have not mated before?"

"I wouldn't be able to even suggest it if I had. Vampires mate for life."

"Same goes for werewolves," the young wolf whispered respectively.

"You see why this is an issue, right?" Mating was not exactly a decision to be made on a mere whim. It was a question mulled over decades, at least for Levi and now if he wanted to get out of this cell he might have no other option than mate with a werewolf he had met just met today.

The werewolf looked pensive. "I have not heard of a werewolf ever mating a vampire before," the young wolf said carefully.

"That's probably because it has not happened before." Levi knew that it was crazy idea in the first place. "Let's think this over carefully and if we cannot find any other solution then we could give it a shot. It will take some time either way for me to gain my strength. We can try without the mating if you want to but that could take months." He laid down the facts. Feeding off on someone could not be done in haste without killing them.

The werewolf nodded at him. "Yes, I can let you have some blood each day or something," the wolf agreed. "I do not want to bind myself to you until it is the last option we have."

There was a sudden clank against the bars of the cell. "What are you two scheming over there?" the guard asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

Levi dearly hoped that the man had not heard any of their words. If that crazy woman got any whiff of what they were discussing, they'd be in for a world of hurt. "We do not speak about this unless he is gone or sleeping," Levi whispered as quietly as he could, knowing that only the werewolf would hear him.

Eren nodded agreeing with that notion and returned to the other side of the cell, glaring at the guard who watched them carefully.

With a gruff the guard returned to his post as well.

Later that night the guard left for a bathroom break. They both listened carefully as the sound of his footsteps echoed, getting farther away.

"I have a question," the werewolf stated as soon as it was safe to do so.

"Shoot."

"Where are you going to bite me?"

Levi was surprised by that question. He had not expected it at all. "Feeling squishy about it?" Levi asked with an amused smile tugging on his lips. He could only imagine what it felt like to be bitten by someone.

"Kinda, because..." the young wolf's voice trailed off and he averted his eyes from Levi's whole being.

Levi suddenly understood what the werewolf was getting at. "You liked it, didn't you?" he smirked as the werewolf shifted uncomfortably under his gaze.

"I just don't want to look into your eyes when you do it."

That statement made Levi wonder if there was something about his eyes when he was about to bite someone? He had never had the chance to ask anyone. "Why not?"

"The look in your eyes is too intimate." What Eren had seen in those eyes when the vampire had first tasted his blood had been something raw and feral. It had been something Eren had only one word for, desire. It made him feel uncomfortable when he knew that the desire was not directed at him but at his blood. He was only food to this creature he shared a cell with.

Tonight was full of surprises as yet again something Levi did not expect to hear fell from the lips of the werewolf. "Then don't look. Close your eyes," Levi said as he stood up to move closer to the furry eared creature. "Quickly before that guard returns." Levi strode closer to him. "What's your name?" he asked suddenly remembering that he had not yet done so.

"Eren," the werewolf answered, screwing his eyes shut, waiting for the experience of being bitten again as if it was going to be horrible one.

"Eren," Levi purred mockingly as he knelt at Eren's side. The wolf boy kept his eyes shut tight as Levi placed his hand on the other side of his neck to keep his head still. Earlier when he had sucked Eren's blood, he had only taken a small amount. Now the soft skin of the neck was presented to him once again. This time willingly. He didn't need to look away or pretend that the soft pulse of Eren's heart was the rain.

Eren was tense under his touch. "Don't be scared," Levi whispered as his lips brushed the sensitive skin. Levi let his fangs extend themselves before he sank them into Eren's neck quickly, knowing that the initial pain would be gone much quicker by doing so.

Levi did not want to stop sucking as with each mouthful he could feel his strength coming back more and more. Eren whimpered under his grip which got stronger with each passing second.

His feeding was disturbed by the sudden noise of the returning footsteps of the guard. Levi's mouth quickly left Eren's neck and with haste he licked the puncture wounds. His saliva healed the two little holes away from Eren's neck and in flash Levi was already back on his side of the cell.

Eren had enough time to recover before the guard came back so that he was back leaning against the wall as if he had not moved at all. The guard did not notice the slight redness of Eren's cheeks.

For the next four days Levi fed himself from Eren and each time it made him chuckle how uncomfortable the werewolf was with the enjoyable experience.

"Does it always feel like this?"

"Like what?" Levi asked as he settled back on his spot under the window. The guard had not returned yet but he would soon. Levi was being careful with the amount he ate at once.

"You know," Eren said, a healthy flush on his cheeks once again.

Levi smirked as he wanted to make the werewolf say it out loud. "I don't." It was somewhat true too since he was eating plenty he didn't feel the rush of it anymore. But he had heard and seen quite a lot of reactions to the feeding. Pure bliss.

"Yes you do," Eren accused with a huff. "Why does it feel like this?"

"Because if it hurt like a bitch then my food would run away. It's for subduing purposes obviously."

"Ah," Eren commented with a sigh. He was feeling relaxed and did not want to move ever from this spot. "Are some people clingy?" he asked out of nowhere.

"What?"

Eren gestured lazily to his neck where Levi had just sucked his blood from. "You know, because this feels so good that do some people think it is something else?"

This werewolf was an interesting fellow. "You mean it feels _that _good?" Levi teased Eren.

Eren contemplated if that was how it would be phrased most accurately. "Yeah, _that _good," he agreed. Levi's bite made him feel funny in areas he had not yet paid much attention to himself. There was a mild urge to wrap his arms around the vampire and let him lull him into whatever paradise that existed in his arms. But Eren knew it was just a hoax. Death was the only thing waiting for him if he let Levi eat all that he wanted. Eren chuckled to himself at the thought, at least it would be a blissful death if nothing else.

"What's your name," Eren asked as an after thought. He ought to know the name of the man who was draining his life force bit by bit.

"Levi."

"Levi," Eren tasted the name rolling from his tongue. It was not a bad sounding name.

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><p>On the fifth day it became apparent that this arrangement of theirs was not going to work. Levi had hardly even started to feast on the blood when Eren was tapping his shoulder, frantically.<p>

"Stop, stop, stop!" Eren felt dizzy as he chanted the only word on his mind at the time.

Levi, of course, let him go. As soon as he did, the werewolf slumped down on the ground, in a boneless heap, panting hard as if he had ran a marathon.

The vampire looked at the young wolf down on the floor. "Your body can't take this pace we are going with. Your blood is not replenishing itself fast enough."

Eren nodded weakly.

"Let me get you patched up," Levi murmured as he descended down on the werewolf to lick his neck clean. Eren was keeping his face turned away from his. Levi would have expected him to get used to this already but the young wolf always shifted away from him as soon as possible as if he was embarrassed.

Levi moved back to his usual spot. "We need to wait or you'll die at this rate and your body knows it."

Eren kept nodding at him until his eyes fell shut and he was sleeping without a care in the world. Levi cursed as he got back up and prodded the young man into a proper sitting position so that the returning guard wouldn't notice much of a difference. The werewolf's weight had started to feel light in his arms. Levi was so close to full power and yet he needed to wait. He knew he could just suck the boy dry and leave by himself but then he would keep thinking about those green eyes for the rest of his life. He'd remember the young werewolf who volunteered to help him.

That thought did not set well within him.

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><p>So far the guard had not noticed that Levi had been feeding off on Eren. Just to make sure Levi kept sending glares at Eren as if he hated his guts. Eren did the same. It was true that they did not particularly like each other so acting was not hard to accomplish. Levi would call it tolerating each other's presence for the sake of escaping.<p>

There was not much to do in the cell and Levi had grown used to the silence. Eren on the other hand kept sighing when he had something he wished to say but didn't know where to start or if he should start at all.

That night Levi noticed Eren staring intently through the window. His furry head was basking in moonlight and Levi found himself staring.

"How long do you think it will take?" Eren asked and Levi was not sure what he was referring to.

The faint noise of the guard snoring in the background told Levi it was safe to speak. "Excuse me?"

"My blood to replenish?" Eren's gaze fell from the sky to Levi's face.

"I'd say to be on the safe side, at least two weeks."

Eren looked up to the sky once again. "It's full moon in a week." His words were a statement that Levi was supposed to understand what it meant without him elaborating any further.

Levi had a bad feeling about what Eren was trying to say to him. "And that means?" Levi asked just in case.

Eren licked his lips, looking down on his hands before taking a deep breath. "It triggers an involuntary transformation. My wolf side will be in full control for the night. I cannot be sure but if I am locked in a cage with a dangerous creature such as you, the result is not going to be anything pretty." Eren closed his eyes, leaned his head back. "We need to do it." A certain amount of finality dominated the words.

"Do what?"

"The bonding, mating, whatever it is. I do not want to lose my only chance of getting out of here just because I killed you by an accident."

Levi could see the logic behind that reasoning. It would be indeed unfortunate to die when they were so close to getting out of here. Only a week or two more of proper feeding and Levi was sure he'd be strong enough to break those bars that separated them from their freedom. Now the approaching full moon posed a threat that he had not even thought about.

"We'll talk about this later," Levi said as he noticed the guard waking up. The lazy bum was the worst kind of guard he had ever seen but then again it was not likely that Levi or Eren were going anywhere.

Not yet.

* * *

><p>Eren seemed to be on the edge, waiting for the guard to leave on his lunch break. As soon as he did Eren opened his mouth, "How are we going to do this thing, tell me what do I need to do." He was nervous and started pacing within their cell.<p>

"Calm down."

"I can't calm down when I know the possible doom is waiting just around the corner!" Eren hissed. "Do you think we can do this bonding thing while the guard is away?"

"Not right now," Levi quickly injected. "You need to know the details or we could screw it up. It's old blood magic and should not be taken lightly."

"But next time, can we managed it in the time he is gone?"

"Yes."

Eren let out a breath of relief. He stopped pacing and stood still, looking at Levi. "Tell me what do I need to do."

"The mating or bonding is an old ritual which will bind us to each other in more ways than just blood. First we pledge a blood oath. In our case it means we simply exchange vows to protect each other or something such as that. The wording has to be exactly the same for both of us. Then we'll have an exchange of blood which obviously means that we drink from each other." Levi saw Eren shudder at the thought. "Show me your teeth," Levi ordered.

Eren was reluctant to do so but he made a wry face at Levi upon request.

Eren had fangs but his teeth had been built for tearing meat. "You won't have a problem getting blood out of me with those." Levi did not exactly find that fact comforting.

"So is that it then?"

"Then the deal is sealed with a kiss."

Eren looked extremely suspicious. "Why?"

"It is a common courtesy to do so when sealing an important contract of any kind." Levi saw the look of displeasure on Eren's face. "Don't worry. Only a peck is enough. We don't have to tongue wrestle."

"Ugh." Eren took a few pacing steps. "And that will be enough for us to be bonded?"

"Yes," Levi assured. The way Eren kept wringing his hands suggested otherwise. "Is something the matter?"

"No, not exactly. I am just not sure if that will be enough."

"Why wouldn't it be? We'll be bound together by blood for as long as we live."

Eren wasn't convinced by Levi's words. "We'll see," he said in a rather unnerving manner.

"Okay," Levi said eyeing the young werewolf carefully. "Well, think about what you'd want to say in the vow. The shorter the better." Levi thought he hardly had to remind Eren that the mating was forever and he had to be able to keep his vow as well.

"What are the vows usually about?" Eren asked him, stopping his pacing for a moment again.

"Love, loyalty, protecting one another," Levi listed with a shrug. "We don't need to even consider talking about love."

"So loyalty and protection?"

"Yes, something along those lines. Anything you feel that you are able to keep. Empty promises won't lead to anything good." Levi had heard of stories were broken vows had brought misfortune and some even death to the ones that had broken them. As a kid Levi had not believed the stories to be true and his uncle had agreed that maybe they were exaggerating a little what actually happened to the vow breakers but the point was this the same. Vows were meant to be taken seriously and he told Eren that.

The werewolf nodded and looked pensive while sitting back down as they heard the faint echo of their guard's footsteps getting closer. The guard paid them no mind, yawning as he sat down with a newspaper to entertain himself for the upcoming long day.

* * *

><p>"Still refusing to eat?" the most hateful woman Levi had ever met, asked him while looking at him through the bars. "There is a piece of healthy meat with juicy blood presented to you and you say no? Or has the werewolf beaten you? Doesn't he let you anywhere near himself?"<p>

Levi stayed silent as usual. He had no reason to talk to her.

"Answer me or I will shoot the werewolf again."

Eren shifted nervously and looked at Levi, hoping for him to open his mouth. One bullet in his leg had been enough.

"Why do you keep me here?" Levi ignored all her questions.

"You know I wish to study you. We've been over this months ago," she answered.

"For what purpose? You tell me that and I'll consider answering your bothersome questions."

"Striking deals are we?" the woman mused. "Alright if you so wish to know. My goal is to find a way to kill vampires via blood. I want to find a way to kill every single one of your disgusting kind by taking away you the possibility of feeding on humans. If humans could be vaccinated against vampires, effectively killing the bloodsuckers after they have had their meal, world would be so much better place to live."

The woman was bat shit crazy but she did pose a real threat. What she intended to do would mean a serious problem for any growing vampire that needed blood to grow. The implications of what it would mean for the vampire society were too big to consider.

"Now hold your end of the bargain, vampire."

Levi shook his head. "I'm not going to suck on some dirty werewolf by choice. His blood tasted disgusting last time and I doubt it tastes any better now."

"I see," the woman stated as if she understood fully well what Levi's words meant. "So if I got you some pretty girl or boy to feed on, would you do it then?"

"Probably, but I'm picky about my food. You would have noticed that if you had been feeding me right."

"You are not a pet. You don't deserve such treatment," her words were cold.

"Did someone kill your cat or something? I hardly think this is the way to avenge the poor creature."

The woman's eyes turned icy.

"So someone did die," Levi stated.

"Shut your mouth you filthy beast," the woman spat at him. "Soon my first version of the vaccine is ready for testing. We'll see how you'll like it." She turned on her heels and left the cell area.

Eren was casting worried glances towards Levi but he could not say what was on his mind without the fear of the alert guard overhearing him.

There was not much to say to be honest. The threat the woman had laid upon them meant their time was indeed running out. The faster they got out of here the better.


	3. Chapter 3

_**AN:** I'm happy to recceive encouraging reviews for this one because I really like writing this. :)__  
><em>

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 3<strong>_

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><p>Levi's eyes followed the guard as he left for a break.<p>

Eren was quickly making his way over to him. "I've been thinking," he said. "That I cannot go with the whole loyalty thing. I don't know you well enough to promise absolute loyalty."

Levi could understand that. Loyalty meant having faith and trust in someone. "So protection it is," he concluded.

"Yeah." Eren laughed out loud.

Levi thought the young wolf had gone mad so he asked, "What's so funny?"

"I just thought," Eren said, smiling and shaking his head. "That protection is exactly what I'll need when my father finds out that I'm mated to a vampire. He's going to skin me alive."

Levi grimaced as he thought of his own situation not being any better. "Surely it won't be that bad," he tried to assure Eren but the words sounded false even to his own ears. Levi knew that once he returned to his own clan, he'd be an outcast for sure. For several years there had been hints thrown at him that there was someone willing to mate him if he showed any kind of interest towards her. They had given him time to think about it with subtle hints that it was time for him to contribute to their clan and start having kids.

Levi did not know exactly what the council of elders would do to him but mating a werewolf could not mean anything good. They would not kill him, at least he knew that much. Most probably they would exile him from the clan which meant he would no longer be under their protection. So he knew what Eren meant. But if that was the price of his freedom and staying alive then so be it.

"Oh, you don't know my father," Eren said his words accompanied by a head shake. "I'm not supposed to mate until I'm twenty. It is a rule in our pack."

That reminded Levi of a another small detail that he wanted to know. "How old are you?"

"I'm eighteen," Eren answered.

Levi wanted to smack his forehead. So young. "I'm going to Hell," Levi muttered under his breath. There was no salvation for his soul anymore. This was not what he had had in mind when he thought he would get bound to someone but what other choice did he have other than an eighteen-year-old werewolf? If what the woman said was true then he'd have to settle for Eren.

"How old are you then?" Eren asked in turn. Levi's reaction gave him some idea that Levi probably was not as young as he looked.

"I'm two hundred and.. thirty something. I can't remember the exact number."

Eren stared at him eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

The more Eren stared the more ancient Levi felt compared to Eren. "Close that trap or flies will nest in it."

"Woah," Eren said his voice full of wonder. "And here I thought my father was old."

Levi snorted. "You are not helping, kid."

"Sorry," Eren apologized sheepishly.

Levi scoffed. They did not have much choice in the matter so they did not have the luxury to get stuck on minor details. So Levi decided to bury the thoughts of robbing something precious from Eren when they'd be bound together. It was possible that he would not ever love the wolf but he could at least try to keep him safe. "So about the vows," he started. "Maybe we should go with something simple as 'I promise to protect you as long as I live to best of my abilities.' How's that sound?"

"Is that really all we are going to say?"

"Didn't I already point it out that it should not be overly complex so that we can remember it from word to word?"

"Yeah," Eren said dejectedly. He felt bummed out that he would not get to say some fancy words. This was not what Eren had thought his mating would be like.

"Hey, don't get so depressed." Levi could not understand what there was to get gloomy about.

"But those words are going to be what bind us together. Let's not use the word 'promise' because promises are easy to break. I'd say we just state it as a fact like, 'I will protect you for as long as I live.'" Eren was determined to have the words right. "I don't like that hesitating tone that proposition of yours had."

"Okay, whatever," Levi simply said. He would not argue about this. He could understand that Eren wanted it to be specific. He could see the importance of it. As Eren had said, those words would be a defining factor in their relationship.

It made Eren happy that Levi did seem to agree with him. Maybe their time together would not be so bad after all. Although they had not yet discussed what would happen after they were free. Would they continue life together or would they part ways? Eren was not going to ask until they were actually free. He hated to make definite plans without knowing how things would turn out.

They heard the familiar shuffle of footsteps getting closer. Eren made his way back on the other side of their cell.

The guard entered the cell area a minute later carrying a tray. "Here's your food, mutt." He set the tray down and kicked it towards Eren, spilling the water and food. This had been his way of presenting food to him every day. At first Eren had been reluctant to eat but when he had started to "donate" his blood to Levi, the vampire had told him that he would need to swallow his pride and eat as much as he could.

* * *

><p>Eren was anxiously waiting for the guard to leave for his lunch break. He tried not to fidget as he knew they had only a short amount of time to do what hopefully would assure them their freedom. He almost let out a sigh of relief when the guard finally got up, whistling to himself on his way out.<p>

"Walk me through it one more time," Eren said with a haste.

"Just do as I do and you'll be fine," was Levi's calm answer.

Those words did not help to calm Eren's nerves. Nor did it help that Levi was taking clothes off. "What are you doing?" Eren asked confused by that course of action.

"I'm not letting you spill blood all over my clothes." Levi loosened his cravat around his neck. "It will be a mess if they notice that you bit me."

"Oh, right." Eren scratched his head behind his ear while looking sheepish.

Levi just shook his head slightly at the werewolf. He let the cravat fell on his lap and he opened the buttons of his shirt to slip it past his shoulders. "Come on, we don't have all day." He beckoned the werewolf to him. Eren looked so nervous that Levi sighed and explained the process one more time, "First we say the vows, just follow what I do but remember, from word to word," he could not stress it enough. "After the oath has been made bite me, draw enough blood to drink it and then we seal it with a kiss."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Levi repeated affirmatively.

"I still don't get it why we need to kiss."

"Just do as I say. It is the proper way of doing things," Levi argued and saw that Eren didn't still understand what he meant. "I'll cut your hand and you cut mine. That shows the trust we share. The oath itself represents loyalty."

"What about the blood sucking part?"

"Eternity and life."

"And the kiss?" Eren was highly suspicious about the kiss for some reason, Levi noted.

"Understanding and agreement."

"Oh, okay." The werewolf seemed to finally accept that there was a reason for it.

"What's your full name?" Levi asked.

"Eren Jaeger," Eren answered not knowing for sure what this was about.

"Levi Ackerman, remember that for the oath." Levi took hold of Eren's right hand. "Are you ready?" he asked, looking at the young man who still look unsure about the whole bonding thing.

Eren took a few deep breaths. He knew they did not have that much time to mull this over. "Yes." He nodded but stopped Levi before the vampire had any chance to proceed. "Could you bite my hand instead of cutting it?"

Levi sensed that Eren didn't like pain. "No. Me biting you would defeat the purpose of letting me cut your hand."

"Oh, okay," the werewolf answered once again. Eren did not really understand the point but Levi seemed to be rather adamant about it so he let it slide.

Levi made a small cut on Eren's palm. Eren hissed at the pain even being prepared for it didn't make it any easier.

"Now do it for me," Levi offered his left hand to Eren and the werewolf did a same kind of cut on his hand. "Once we join our hands together, no more speaking other than the oath. Do you understand?"

Eren nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Just repeat your part the same way as I do." Levi clutched their hands together, making sure that their blood smeared together. "I, Levi Ackerman, will protect you, Eren Jaeger, for as long as I live."

Eren took a deep breath and said, "I, Eren Jaeger, will protect you, Levi Ackerman, for as long as I live."

Levi hold onto Eren's hand, guiding Eren's head towards his own neck. For Levi this part was easy but he was not prepared how it would feel for himself when Eren bit down on his shoulder.

Levi gasped when the intense pain erupted on his shoulder. Eren's teeth sank into his soft flesh easily and for a moment Levi was sure that Eren would tear a chunk of it off. It seemed cruel to him that when he bit Eren the wolf moaned in pleasure because of it while the vampire himself was hurting like hell.

Making sure to gulp down the blood of the vampire, Eren finally let go, careful not to hurt the vampire any more than he had to. He still had not gotten used to the niceness of Levi's bite. He was on cloud nine for a minute or two and the small kiss he bestowed on Levi's lips did not seem like a big deal at all at the time.

Eren looked at the vampire, who was looking anything but pleased, waiting for his sign if it was okay to speak.

"Fuck, that hurt," Levi cursed, pushing himself away from the werewolf. "Shit," he cursed some more as realized the wound was not healing yet, blood threatening to fall on his shirt. "Damn it all to hell." Levi was pissed as he could not understand why he was not healing. The wound should have stopped bleeding almost instantly.

"Let me," Eren suggested, raising a hand to touch Levi's shoulder carefully. He hesitated to touch the other man since the vampire seemed truly angry and in pain. To his surprise the vampire let him touch him without pushing him away again.

Even if Levi seemed to permit him coming closer, Eren moved with caution just in case. The wound he had left on Levi's shoulder wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. There was a clear set of teeth marks on the pale skin. The wound was bleeding but not at alarming rate. Soon the blood would start rolling down from the shoulder though and Eren saw it as his duty to fix it. "I'll clean it."

Levi scoffed. He grimaced as he felt the filthy tongue of the werewolf's lap the wound clean. He tried not to think of the diseases he might catch from the wolf. One could never be too sure or careful.

Eren inspected the result of his work and found that the wound had stopped bleeding. "I think you should not put your shirt on until the wound has been covered with some scab."

"You think I have the luxury to do that? If the guard sees it, what do you think will happen?"

Levi had a point, that Eren had to admit. "Well at least wait until he gets back."

"Hmph." The werewolf was already bossing him around. "What the hell is in those teeth of yours?" Levi wondered out loud as he tried to figure out the possible reasons for the open wound. Maybe he had been poisoned?

"Eerm, it might be my fault," Eren said carefully, taking some distance from the vampire in case Levi got mad. "Werewolves leave mating marks on their mates and that might be why your wound is not closing."

"Mating marks?" Levi was tempted to put his hand over the wound on his neck but thought he better not or it might get infected. God knew how long it had been since the last time he had washed his hands. That reminded him to check his palm. The cut on it had already healed so maybe there was some merit to what Eren was saying.

"Yeah, it tells the other werewolves who is mated and who is not. You know, it is rather convenient to know that when the heat starts."

"Heat?" Levi was being serious. What was the wolf boy talking about. He had not realized that werewolves were so much like animals, having heats and whatnot. He certainly did not want to know about all of their dirty things they did. He should let Eren know that, lay some rules between them.

"Yeah, you know, twice a year females go through a heat to have children."

What? Levi already felt as if he had gotten more than he signed up for. "Stop saying 'you know'. I honestly don't know shit about your bestial ways." Levi was grumpy to say the least.

"I'm sorry," Eren said sheepishly. "Do you want me to explain?"

"You might as well. I'd rather know what mess I have gotten myself into." Levi fought the strong urge to touch the damn shoulder of his. Maybe whatever Eren told him would distract his thoughts away from the pain.

Eren was not sure where to exactly begin and if he would be any good at explaining something he took for granted. "Okay," Eren said and relax seeing that the vampire was reasonable enough to listen to him. It seemed foolish to be afraid of his own mate but he never knew what the vampire was thinking and since their ways of life were so much different from each other. Would it be alright between them two?

Eren settled for explaining the outlines of the werewolf society. "Mates are freely chosen and the mating marks obviously mark the taken ones." Eren looked sheepish as he added, "Everyone will know you are my mate now, simply from that mark."

"How? Does it look somehow different than others'?" Levi asked as he failed to see the logic behind a set of teeth marks being any way to identify someone.

"It's just not the bite mark but there will be a scent mark also so we don't need to see the visual one necessarily," Eren explained. "But the scent mark is should not be too prominent on you since you won't enter a heat being a vampire and all.."

The idea of smelling like a werewolf pet didn't sound appealing at all. "So now I'm now reeking because of you?" At least he wouldn't have to deal with that heat thing, right?

Eren grimaced but the vampire's reaction did not come as a surprise to him. "Well, that is one way to put it."

"Thanks a lot," Levi said but did not sound grateful at all. He couldn't smell anything out of ordinary himself so maybe the scent was something only werewolves could pick up. He could only hope that was the case.

"I can't help it! It's not up to me to decide."

"I know, I know." Levi waved his hand dismissively to silence the wolf boy. "So only females enter heat?" Levi asked just in case but as far as he understood the werewolves seemed to behave just like any other wolf.

"Yes."

"Good."

It took a moment for Eren to realize what Levi meant. "Oh no, I should be fine, I think," Eren said uncertainly. He was reminded that his pack had a male couple which was raising a young boy and Eren was almost certain the boy was adopted. He had never asked and the topic had never come up since no one seemed to think anything of it. After all, everyone were prepared to raise someone else's child in case the parents died or they needed help in any other way. One of their pack's absolute laws was that they did not abandon anyone who was originally part of their pack.

Levi picked on the uncertain tone of his that did not promise anything good. Levi had a feeling that Eren was hiding something from him. The young wolf did not sound so sure of some things.

"I'm supposed to be the alpha of my pack eventually but I guess that is only a fantasy now." Eren could already imagine the wrath unleashed upon him by his father when he found out about this. What would Grisha say? Eren's father had been always telling him that he should choose his mate carefully. When he'd see his mate, anything could happen. Eren doubted that Grisha would just swallow the fact that his only son had mated with a vampire. Eren was feeling guilty as he now carried the burden of ending their bloodline with this decision.

"Alpha?" Levi asked curiously. This was the first time he had heard of werewolves following the exact behaviour pattern of wolves. Maybe he could learn more if he could look into that more in depth. It kind of surprised him that he had any interest in finding out what Eren's life was like.

"Yeah, my father is the current alpha of our pack. I'm the only child so I should be taking over after his reign ends but..."

"I destroyed your future, didn't I?" Hadn't there been any other way to escape? Had they even tried? No but Levi already knew how strong the bars were and he doubted the werewolf would have been or would be able to break them. Werewolves were not known for inhuman strength after all.

"No, no, bonding was the only way out. I doubt those guys will let me or you leave here alone after all, you know."

"Indeed," Levi said contemplating what Eren had told him. "The guard is coming back. We'll talk later."

His words turned out to be true as Eren could hear the guard returning.

* * *

><p>In Levi's opinion Eren started to act weird a day after later. Eren had seemed fine right after their bonding and Levi himself had not felt that much different. It was kind of disappointing but then maybe his expectations had been high. Though, he was not sure what he had been expecting to happen in the first place.<p>

Eren on the other hand had changed in some way. Levi noticed that the wolf was casting long gazes towards his direction. The look in his eyes was the similar to the one Eren had right after Levi had fed from him. Eren's behaviour was probably due to the upcoming full moon or so Levi concluded.

Levi did not want to ask why and thus left the wolf boy alone. He had an other problem to worry about than some lewd gazes from his mate. The word sounded wrong even inside his head, yet alone, if he ever would utter it out loud.

Levi tried not to move as he sat on his regular spot as always. He had a bad feeling that if he took a look at his shoulder, he would see the blood seeping through the fabric of his shirt. He had redressed himself carefully but all of that might have been in vain. He dearly hoped that the possible stain would be overlooked by anyone paying any sort of attention to him.

First test came soon as the mad scientist woman marched into their cell block with a few men tailing after her. They were carrying guns as usual but one of them looked different from the others. It was a tranquilizing gun, Levi realized.

Without much of a warning they shot Eren with that gun and the werewolf plugged the needle out as soon as he could. "Hey! Don't shoot people out of nowhere like that!" The young wolf protested.

The woman just smiled coldly as they waited to effect to take hold of Eren. Soon enough the werewolf's movements got sluggish and his head started drooping.

The men that had come with the woman came into the cell and Levi just regarded them without making a move as there was constantly a gun pointed at his head. He pitied the werewolf and what they might do to him. A small nagging thought in the bag of his head kept reminding him that this was his mate that they were taking away and he had promised to protect him. What could he do in a situation like this? Nothing.

Silently Levi grit his teeth together as he did indeed want to prevent these men from harming Eren even when it seemed really stupid of him to do so. Despite whatever he was feeling inside he chose to stay still. He would not do a thing. There would be other times when he would be able to actually protect his mate and this was not the time yet. If only the werewolf came back alive that is...

The men grabbed Eren and dragged him away as if he was a lifeless body. The young man was already completely out of it.

Levi closed his eyes being sure that Eren would come back. He hoped so because then all would have been for naught. He did not want the hope that had reawaken in him to die so soon.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>This came out a bit earlier than it should have cos I am not sure how much of internet access I have next week, might have it all the time or might have none so.. :)  
>Next chapter probably comes out either next weekend or then at the beginning of the week (a week from now).<p> 


	4. Chapter 4

****AN: ****I see that this story isn't that popular on this site but that's fine.

_**Chapter 4**_

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><p>They brought Eren back the next morning. Levi hadn't been able to sleep until he knew that Eren was fine, safe and sound inside their cell once again, out from the clutches of that evil woman. Levi's eyelids fell shut as he lulled himself to sleep by listening to Eren's steady heartbeat. The young wolf was alive and well. His mate was back. Finally he could sleep.<p>

Next time he woke up it was already evening and the sun was setting. The first thing he noticed was how Eren was staring at him once again. The gleam in his eyes has not dulled at all. Actually it had gotten stronger and the werewolf was breathing heavily. What had they done to him?

"Good evening," Eren said with a softer tone that Levi would have expected. "Is it hot in here?" Eren waved his hand lazily, fanning his face.

Levi was sure the temperature had not risen at all and Eren was sitting in the shadows either way. There was no way it was any hotter than it had been yesterday. "Not particularly, no."

"Shit," the young wolf cursed. Eren tried to keep his head leveled. He was not stupid enough to think this had anything to do with whatever the woman had injected him with. He felt slightly sick after that but this heat spreading through his body had begun mere hours after his bonding with Levi. "Do you remember when I said that the bonding might not be enough?"

Levi eyed him suspiciously. He quickly looked over to the guard to see if the bastard had heard what they said but he saw the guy was fast asleep. What an idiot. "Yes." Levi did remember that weirdly not so convincing way Eren had mentioned it.

"Well." Eren licked his lips, his gaze sweeping the floor before they returned to look into Levi's eyes. "I think we'll need to do it my way too."

"Your way?"

"Yeah," Eren just breathed out, not being really interested in explaining himself. Looking at Levi was much more important. If they were alone, he would do something he might regret.

Levi noticed this peculiar behavior once again but he tried to look past it. "Elaborate, please?"

Eren seemed to snap out of the weird state that he had fallen into for a moment. "You know, physical bonding. I already gave you my mark." Eren pointed at Levi's shoulder. "That is the first part of it, I think."

"You think? How could you not know?"

"Because..." Eren hesitated to tell him that he was too young to know. His father had told him that he would tell him when he was ready to be mated. "It doesn't matter." Eren faked a smile and quickly continued, "I know enough."

Levi doubted that but he let the werewolf have his pride.

"Anyway," Eren said to distract himself from the blue eyes that he kept looking at. "I don't know how to explain this to you properly because it is a feeling I have."

A feeling? What was that supposed to mean? Levi was about to ask when the guard coughed and woke up. It seemed that his question would need to wait until later.

* * *

><p>Levi was cautious of Eren now. The way the werewolf was looking at him was unsettling. He felt as if he was being sized up. This was not the first time this had happened to him but at those times he could have chosen his company freely.<p>

It was not that he misunderstood what Eren was silently implying, he knew very well what the werewolf was after, and it was the bond between them that made it impossible to ignore.

The feeling was faint but there.

Levi was simply waiting for Eren to make the first move.

Eren seemed to ignore the guard walking out of the cell block for his lunch break but appearances could be deceiving.

This was one of those instances.

As soon as the guard was gone, Eren took his shirt off. He stood up and stood in the middle of the cell, looking down at Levi.

Levi would have expected him to be nervous, embarrassed even, but Eren wasn't. The werewolf stood tall, relaxed in a strange way, the shirt dangling from his fingers and ready to fall.

"Do you remember what I said?" Eren asked being unspecific clearly on purpose. Levi didn't need to guess what he meant so there was no point for Eren to point it out.

While Levi thought up his answer and how to handle the situation, Eren was trying to stay calm. The area around his shoulders and neck was tingly. Eren bit his lower lip as he took deep breaths to keep himself still.

Werewolf mating was instinctual act once the partner had been chosen. It would begin with the mating marks, that was what his father had always told him. His whole life he had been told not to bite anyone in a certain way. He had been told not to sink his teeth in. He had been told that he should not ever leave his scent mark on anyone until he was of age and had a mate who would consent to it. He had been told to listen to his instincts when he had found a mate but this wasn't going as his father had told him.

Levi would not be able to leave a scent mark on him.

Levi was not reacting to him in any other way than emitting an aura of suspicion.

Levi was not a werewolf.

Levi could not read the signs that Eren was giving him.

Although...

Eren looked carefully at his mate. Maybe Levi was picking up something after all. His eyes were not as indifferent looking as Eren would have expected.

"Yes."

A shiver ran through Eren's body just from that simple word. Eren sighed as he realized how deep in this mess he was. He felt hot and he really wanted to get down and dirty with Levi.

But first he needed something from him. Something very important that he knew played a big role in their future. "The full moon is soon," Eren uttered. "I want you to mark me."

At his words Levi squinted his eyes but didn't say anything, waiting for Eren to more specific.

"Anywhere here." Eren traced a finger from his shoulder towards his neck. His skin felt hot under his finger. "But you should not drink from me. That woman tried her vaccine on me. I'd imagine her goal is to get you to feed from me."

"You want me to bite you but not drink? That might be a challenge," Levi mused. He had never tried that before. Drinking blood when he bit someone was a reflex more than a choice.

"I am sure you'll manage," Eren challenged the vampire with such simple words. Eren let the shirt drop to the floor as he took the last few steps towards Levi. He made a bold move by settling down on Levi's lap, straddling his legs. To his surprise Levi received him without a complaint and even adjusted so that Eren could sit down comfortably.

"But that's not all, is it?" Levi's hands had come up to meet him as Eren ascended into his lap. The werewolf's skin was unnaturally warm.

Eren had been about to say something similar himself. Levi's voice sounded so much smoother than Eren had ever heard. He had a hunch that it was not reality, that it was all in his head. "Yeah," he sighed. "I think I might be in heat," he continued breathlessly. The feel of Levi's cool hands on his skin was phenomenal.

"I thought you said you'd be okay."

"I know but.." Eren trailed off as he tried to maintain his sanity for a while longer. "I don't know what else this could be." There really was no other explanation for his sudden lust for Levi or the sensations that he was experiencing. A mere touch was pleasing in way he had never imagined could happen.

"Hmm," the vampire hummed as he took in the breathlessness of his mate, the way the young wolf shivered under his touch even when he did not meant it to be provoking in any way. "Let me guess," he said lazily and ran his hands up on Eren's sides and then back down again, slowly. "Your mating requires the level of intimacy we were not prepared to share."

"Yes," Eren's answer came out as a hushed whisper. "At least mark me if you don't want to go further."

"As you wish," Levi said although he had doubts about succeeding in the task. He tried not to think about eating but rather that he was trying to hurt someone.

As soon as his teeth sank into the soft flesh of Eren's shoulder the werewolf in his arms moaned. The feeling that Eren had came back to him like a backlash and suddenly he was unable to suppress a moan as well. Somewhere in his hazy mind Levi understood that this was what a physical bond felt like. As long as his teeth were attached to Eren, he could feel every single emotion the young man was going through. A spike of arousal ran through him and he did not want to suppress it. He understood what Eren wanted... no, needed from him.

Levi pulled back, leaving behind a nice set of teeth marks on Eren's skin. Eren got ready to get up. He needed to distance himself from the vampire since Levi had not agreed to mate him wholly. A tinge of disappointment rushed through Eren as he started to push himself away from his mate.

"Where do you think you're going?" Levi's arms fastened themselves around Eren, holding him in place, not letting him escape.

Confusion washed over Eren. "But I thought..." Levi had not implied he was willing, had he? Then why?

"Stop assuming things, Eren."

Eren gasped when Levi's hand touched the back of his head and yanked him down to crush their mouths together in a brutal kiss. He lost control of himself with a silent pray that Levi wouldn't be regretting his decision.

As soon as their mouths parted, Eren licked the side of Levi face slowly, leaving a wet trail behind. Tasting the thin layer of sweat on Levi's skin added to the arousal coursing through him like wildfire. Eren was beyond embarrassment as the only thing he wanted was to complete the mating and finally be whole. He had been feeling imperfect ever since he had bonded with Levi. He felt it in his guts that if only they went through with this, things would be as they should be.

"We don't have much time," Levi whispered. They needed to hurry if they did not want to get caught by the guard. Levi did not even want to think what would happen then. He forgot all of such thoughts when Eren started grinding against him in slow sensual movements. The werewolf had a knack for surprising him. Long gone was the innocent young man, now replaced with a horny one that had no shame whatsoever.

Eren's hands were already undoing the cravat around Levi's neck, leaving it hanging loosely around it. Next Eren's hands found and undid the buttons of Levi's shirt, tugging it out of his pants. "Are you sure?" Eren asked with a shaky voice. He needed to be sure that Levi was not leading him on.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Levi ran the back of his hand over Eren's abdomen.

"You are not the one burning inside." He did indeed feel like he was on fire and there was only one thing that he knew would quench that fire. He just needed Levi to give it to him.

"Burning?" Levi had only a moment to wonder about what Eren meant.

Eren was at his wits end so he snapped, "Shut the fuck up and do something about it!"

Now that was more like it and caused Levi to smirk. "Like what?" he asked teasing the poor young man.

Eren let out a feral growl, snapping his jaws at Levi. Eren was not really going to bite him but he was tempted.

They shared a heated moment of gazing in each other's eyes as if sizing up each other's intentions.

Levi leaned in, his lips searching for Eren's. His hands dipped into Eren's pants to cup his ass. It had been a few years since Levi had had a lover but never before had anyone shown as much passion for wanting him. Not once had someone been this keen and Levi could feel it. He felt it in his bones that Eren did want him. Let it be because of the supposed heat that the young wolf was going through or something else but Levi was glad to accept it.

Eren's whole being was trembling under his touch. The young wolf was breathing heavily, clinging to Levi's shoulders. Levi saw the clear signs of just how much Eren was waiting for this. The straining of the fabric of the front of his pants was one of those. "Strip," Levi ordered, feeling relief wash over him. That must have come from Eren. It felt weird to be receiving small bits of emotions coming from someone else.

Levi's command sounded heavenly to Eren and he quickly did as told. He got up on his knees, careful not to hurt Levi in his haste of getting out of his shoes and pants, the only things that still clothed his body. Eren's hands shook as he re-positioned himself back on Levi's lap.

Levi made sure that Eren's bare ass wouldn't touch the filthy floor beneath them. Eren was the one this time to mash their lips together into a hungry kiss. The werewolf was pressed flush against him, moaning into their kiss while his cock wept between them. Levi felt the wetness of it against his stomach.

Overcome by the urge to bite the werewolf, Levi wrenched his lips away from Eren's and sank his fang into the beautiful neck of his.

Eren's fingers dug themselves into Levi's shoulders and the young wolf let out a wanton moan. The sheer pleasure that Levi's fangs brought him, took him over the edge. Eren was in paradise, yes. He was willing to die right at that moment if Levi was the one to kill him. He wouldn't care as long as he continued to feel as good as this.

Levi didn't drink much, just a mouthful of the delicious blood that Eren had. The taste of his blood had changed since their bonding and Levi doubted that anyone else's blood would ever taste as good as Eren's. Not that he'd drink from anyone else than Eren ever again.

Eren grabbed hold of Levi's loose cravat and tugged at it to kiss him again. The young wolf seemed to enjoy sticking his tongue down his throat. It also came apparent that Eren liked to use his tongue for a lot of things other than kissing. It traveled down the side of Levi's face to his neck. Eren pushed the shirt of his shoulders to gain access to the bite mark that had not fully healed yet.

It surprised Levi that the touch of Eren's tongue left the wound, that would eventually show up as a scar, tingling. He would have have to analyze all this info later because now he did not give a rat's ass about what were the reasons behind for these things. There was a piece of ass being presented to him by his mate and there was no way he'd say no to that.

Levi offered his fingers to Eren for cleaning. He would soon be touching something that he did not want to get infected by any chance. Eren suckled on them and Levi could not resist the urge to say something, "Clean them good, just like that. Good boy." He saw Eren's ears flick because of what he said and he wondered what that meant. Was the werewolf turned on or was he embarrassed? Levi couldn't wait to find that out in the future, to learn all the little expressions and habits that Eren had.

Eren reached his shaking hands to open Levi's pants and getting out the price he had been waiting for this whole time. He wanted it and it seemed illogical to him but part of him kept saying in the back of his mind that this was the way it should be.

Levi did nothing to help him. He wanted to see how far Eren's knowledge reached on such matters. Eren had seemed so confident about the whole act but Levi suspected it was mostly due to the instincts telling the young wolf what to do. So while the young wolf was on his way to free his cock, Levi reached for his ass. He had a fear that he would be hurting the werewolf shortly but to his amazement he found slickness already present, oozing out of Eren's asshole. After a moment of confusion he assumed it was a werewolf thing and thought nothing further of it.

Eren halted his quest for Levi's cock when the vampire inserted a finger inside him. The burning inside of him got worse but it stung only for a brief moment and then it was gone and pleasure took over. Eren trembled as he clutched hold of something that would keep him grounded. Ever since Levi had marked him, ever since he had fed from him and ever since he had cum, Eren's sensations had been heightened. His whole body was shaking and buzzing for more.

Eren was clinging to Levi's shirt as Levi gently opened him up. Levi felt a tinge of guilt for doing this but they had already gone too far to go back now and he doubted that Eren would listen to him now. He doubted that Eren even could listen since his heat was strongly controlling his urges. It might be even dangerous to stop now, for both of them.

Eren's mouth found its way to Levi's neck and the werewolf preoccupied himself by kissing and licking it. Eren felt as if he would lose himself if he did not shift his attention to something else than the fingers stretching him. He cried out when Levi hit something inside him that he didn't even know existed.

Levi concluded that he had tortured the poor boy long enough and retreated his fingers out of him, causing Eren to whimper at the loss. The werewolf looked at him with slight panic in his eyes. "Shhh," Levi hushed soothingly. "We are just getting started," he told the young wolf and he finished what Eren had started, freeing his cock from his pants finally. Levi almost laughed at the eagerness that Eren showed when he saw Levi's erection. The young wolf had never looked more like a dog. His ears were suddenly perked upon his head when they had been flat against his skull for almost the whole time. If Eren had had a tail, Levi was sure it would have been wagging.

Levi shifted closer, nudging Eren closer as well. He easily lifted Eren's hips and brought him to the right position. He heard Eren gulp in anticipation and it was surprising how still the werewolf had become. Eren hold on to him as Levi guided himself in to the scorching heat of Eren's ass. "Shit," the vampire cursed. He definitely had never experienced this before. He tried to pull back as soon as he was in but Eren wouldn't let him.

The content sight that left from Eren's lips made him think twice and endure the heat.

Then suddenly gone was the sudden stillness of Eren's and the tranquility was broken by a howl. It surprised Levi so much that he jumped a little. He hoped that the howl had gone unheard by the guard or anyone else. As soon as Eren was done with his howling, he bit down on Levi's mark once again. This time though, Levi did not feel pain, pleasure erupted through his body and he gasped out loud, squeezing Eren's hips tightly.

Levi briefly wondered if he was supposed to bite Eren again as well? The werewolf had not explained the fine details of his mating rituals. Did the young wolf even know them? Just in case Levi refreshed the bite mark that he had left on Eren's shoulder. As an almost instant reaction Eren started humping his hips up and down on his cock, riding the fuck out of him.

Levi was used to being in control but the way Eren didn't give a damn was exhilarating in its own way. Usually his bed partners would ask what he wanted and let him do as he pleased but Eren did not pause, no. The young wolf licked the wound he had caused, lapping it up as he fucked himself on Levi's cock. The moans escaping his lips finally drove Levi to thrust into him with the same pace.

It didn't take long for Eren to reach his peak once again and his moans turned into cries. Eren was actually crying but not stopping his movements. Levi would have felt concern for him if he had not felt through their bond that the young man was anything but hurt.

Eren howled again but not as loud as the first time. Levi hoped that no one had paid any mind to the sounds coming from the cell. This was not the moment he would want to get caught. He was so close to release himself. The smell of sweat coming off from Eren was driving him crazy. He would never admit that out loud but he liked the dirtiness involved in sex. He didn't mind in the least that Eren was licking his face or sinking his dirty fingers into his hair, twisting his head up to kiss him with sloppy kisses.

He didn't mind and he doubted he ever would.

* * *

><p>Eren slept peacefully, resting his head on Levi's shoulder. The vampire had his arm around Eren's shoulders, keeping the young wolf near him. He reflected on how he had felt before and after they had consummated their bond on a physical level. Levi felt complete in a way he'd never thought he would. The werewolf had been right that the blood bond had not been enough. It had been emotionless type of bonding and now there was emotions, vibrations of what they were both feeling coursing through Levi.<p>

At first it seemed surprising and overwhelming but as the werewolf slept on, Levi got hold of himself. He smiled to himself as he remembered his uncle telling him once that he'd never know what being mated meant until he was. He understood it now. He was inseparable part of Eren as Eren was of him. It was illogical to him that he'd care for someone else so quickly but that he did. He'd make sure to keep his oath of protecting Eren. He'd break them out of this hell hole and they could get on with their lives. Levi didn't dare to even think where they'd go after they were free. Showing up in front of his uncle with Eren might not be the best choice. They'd figure something out.

Suddenly Levi heard the guard coming back, he quickly reached for his cloak that he had shed long ago. He hadn't had any need for it until now. He spread it over Eren's bare form and hid Eren's pants and shoes under the cloak as well. There was nothing he could about the shirt that Eren had dropped in the middle of the cell.

He feigned ignorance as the guard came in. The human would not be able to detect what had transpired in the cell because of the murkiness of the damn place.

But, the idiot had something to say nevertheless. "Aaw, look at you two, all buddy buddy now, aren't you?" The guard smirked with a filthy smile on his face as if he knew what had happened. The human probably could imagine it but not believe it.

Levi ignored him, not giving the man the satisfaction of getting and answer out of him.

* * *

><p>"It's tonight," Eren said out of blue. He was back to his side of the cell, fully clothed too.<p>

It had been amusing to watch him dress as Levi could feel the embarrassment underlining each movement the boy had made. "The full moon?" he asked assuming that was the only thing Eren could be talking about.

"Yeah." Eren looked up to the sky even though it was still too early to be worried.

"What do you think will happen?" Levi asked out of curiosity. Surely Eren had some idea what might occur.

"I don't know. I am almost one hundred percent sure that we should be fine. You are my mate and ..." the werewolf suddenly trailed off. Eren buried his face into his hands, his ears flattening against the back of his head.

Levi narrowed his eyes at the silent wolf. Eren was definitely embarrassed right now. Was he thinking of their mating the previous day? So the innocent young boy was back, huh? "No longer under the influence of the heat I presume?" Levi asked teasing his mate.

"I'm so sorry about that," Eren said sheepishly.

"Why? I enjoyed it." Levi commented with a teasing smirk playing on his lips.

"Oh god," Eren gasped out. "I honestly didn't know that I would... do that." Eren hadn't been prepared to what he had gone through. He had, however, thought of the possibility that they would need to mate like that but he had thought of a different way to approach the issue, not by fucking shamelessly with his mate so suddenly, all out of control.

"What's done is done," Levi stated, hoping to ease Eren's mind. "If it really bothers you then just think of it as an act of survival."

His words didn't seem to have much of an effect on the werewolf but Eren did eventually stop hiding behind his hands but he didn't spare a glance at Levi.

So much for feeling wanted, eh?


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

* * *

><p>Eren had drawn his knees up to his chest, hiding his face in his arms. How would he be able to face Levi every again after that embarrassing heat he had gone through?<p>

"_I enjoyed it,"_ Levi had told him that. Eren's ears flicked in shame, they were drawn towards the back of his head as he sat quietly mulling the experience inside his head. Had he done everything he was supposed to? Was the mating now complete? Surely he didn't have to go through that again, did he?

The bite mark on his shoulder was tingling pleasantly but otherwise Eren wasn't feeling like that. Minutes ticked away, closer and closer towards the sunset and time for his transformation. But Eren knew what that felt like and he didn't normally feel this way. It had to be the vaccine that the mad scientist woman had given to him.

Eren suddenly gasped as he realized that Levi had drank from him during their mating. Wide eyed he raised his head to look at his mate. At fist glance he would have thought that Levi was sleeping but something was not right.

Eren glanced at the guard nervously. He hesitated about going over to check if Levi was alright. Eren continued to observe the vampire whose eyes were closed and mouth slightly parted. Levi's head was thrown back, resting against the wall behind him. Eren bit his lower lip as he gathered his courage to go and see if Levi was breathing. Did vampires breathe? Eren wondered about that question as he slowly approached his mate.

"Levi?" he called out quietly. There was no reaction at all. Eren hesitantly touched Levi's shoulder lightly and shook it. "Levi?" he asked again but the vampire did not answer him. "Hey!" Eren poked him rather violently, causing Levi's head to loll on the side.

Eren started to panic because of his mate's unresponsiveness. Since Levi was not exactly awake to stop him, he took a sniff at him. Eren could not tell what was wrong with him by that alone but the smell of sweat made him touch the vampire's forehead. The skin under his hand was moist and warm.

As far as Eren remembered Levi's skin had felt cool the last time he had touched it. There was one possible conclusion he could draw. Levi seemed to have a fever and the most probable cause was the blood he had drank.

Eren had warned him. Why hadn't the vampire listened to him?

"Levi?" Eren tried again. "Can you hear me?"

The guard finally paid attention to what Eren was doing. "Ooh, did that crazy woman's miracle cure work? Is the vampire dead?"

Eren tried to wake Levi up. "Levi, please, say something," Eren said with a hushed whisper and finally the vampire groaned. Eren breathed a sigh of relief. Levi wasn't dead but he might be close to it.

"I better get that scientist over here to take a look at him," the guard said indifferently as he walked out of the door to their cell block.

"Levi!" Eren cupped the vampire's face with his hands. "Please, open your eyes," he pleaded as he brought his forehead against Levi's. "This is all my fault. You cannot die, not yet. We are so close of getting out of here," he rambled in quiet tone but his mate did not react to his words. Only silence on the vampire's part met his ears. "I told you not to drink. Why did you do that?" pain clenched around Eren's heart and he fought back the tears of panic.

Was there something he could do, anything to bring the vampire back to consciousness? Eren told himself to stay calm. He had to get a grip of his emotions. Crying was not going to help save Levi. Eren cursed under his breath and tried to only thing he could come up with. He loosened the cravat around Levi's neck, opened one button of his shirt and slipped his hand inside his shirt to reach the bite mark.

He rubbed it with his fingers adding pressure when at first it did nothing. Slowly he saw that Levi's eye lids flickered. Eren's own mark was burning so he was sure that what he was doing was working. "Come on, open your eyes, Levi," he whispered.

"Stop," the vampire whispered back to him.

"Levi!" Eren cried out and retreated his hand. "Please, tell me how to help you?"

The vampire opened his eyes, blinking lazily. Levi licked his lips and looked extremely tired. Eren held his feelings of panic at bay.

"Blood," Levi said but he had no energy to lean in for a bite.

"No!" Eren cried out. "I told you that you should not drink my blood when that god awful woman had tried her poisons on me but you did!" his tone was reprimanding. "Why did you do it anyway?" Eren wasn't able to held the panic from his voice anymore.

"I couldn't help it," the words were so faint that Eren got scared even more than he already was. It didn't matter now why Levi had drank the blood. Eren prayed that the vampire would pull through the fever. Besides fever was a positive thing, meaning that Levi's immune system was fighting against the vaccine. Things could be worse, a lot worse. Eren could be all alone by now if the vaccine had worked as intended on the first try.

"I'll protect you," Eren told him. "The guard went to get that evil woman here. I won't let them take you away," Eren said as the first sensations of the familiar type of prickling on his skin started. They would try to experiment on Levi for sure but if there was any chance that Eren could buy him some time to get better then he would do it. There was a small hope that if Levi's immune system won the fight... "Don't worry, they won't be able to touch you." Eren made sure Levi was sitting comfortably against the wall before he retreated away from him.

Eren knew that involuntary transformation was not much of fun to go through so instead of fighting the chance he went along with it willingly.

Levi watched how the young man slowly disappeared right before his eyes, turning into a wolf. Not only that but into a really really huge wolf. Had his mind been clear, Levi would have questioned how it was even possible for Eren to be so big in his wolf form.

Levi had no time to ponder such things when a wave of nausea washed over him. He fell to his side and he vomited violently onto the floor next to him. The floor was drenched in what must have been his last meal, Eren's blood, or what was left of it in his stomach. Levi's arms shook, not having the energy to keep him upright for long. He was about to slump down on the pool of his own mess when Eren grabbed hold of the back of his shirt and lifted him gently away from it.

Levi was hanging like a rag doll from Eren's teeth when the mad scientist entered the cell block.

"Eeeh! Is it eating the vampire?!" the woman exclaimed excitedly.

Levi was put down on the cold cell floor just as gently as he had been lifted. He sighed as he rolled on his back to look up to see his mate who was anything but human at that moment. Eren's eyes were yellow, feral look in them scared the vampire. What if Eren turned against him after all?

Eren's muzzle touched the side of his face, his breath was hot. Eren's tongue swept over his mouth, lapping away the traces of the vomit. Levi resisted, turning his head to the side as much as he could but there was no running from the wet tongue cleaning his face. He was feeling slightly better after vomiting out what remained of the blood that had caused this.

"Whaaaat? I am so disappointed," the woman said from outside the cell.

At that instant Eren turned his head towards her, crouched ready to attack while growling in low menacing way that meant certain death for anyone who would dare to come into the cell or near Levi.

"Interesting," the woman mused, pursing up her lips. "We need some tranquilizers for the dog. Go fetch them."

Eren bared his teeth fully, snarling such ferocity that Levi had a urge to calm him down. "Eren," he whispered. The wolf standing above him didn't look at him but stop growling for a moment. The situation did not look good, not at all. The bad guys were fetching tranquilizers and Levi needed blood. If they pumped any more of that vaccine stuff into either of them, their plan of escape was threatened, extremely so.

Levi didn't know how things were going to turn out. The woman was looking at him as if he was the grand price of some twisted competition that she needed to win no matter what. If they were going to hurt Eren... Levi's insides twisted at the thought of losing Eren in a meaningless fight such as this. "Eren," he said again this time louder and he reached a shaky hand to touch Eren's front leg.

The wolf looked down at him, worried if there was something wrong with his mate.

Levi tugged at the fur on his leg to get Eren to lean down closer. "If they want me, let them," he whispered to the wolf as quietly as he could so that the humans didn't hear his words. When Eren whimpered in protest Levi said, "Listen, they are going to shoot you and there is nothing we can do about it. I don't want you to hurt yourself unnecessarily." He hoped his words would have the desired effect on the wolf. Eren seemed to be able to understand him.

Levi searched the werewolf's eyes for any signs that it was actually Eren that he was talking to. But then he closed his eyes as he realized that he could feel Eren right there with him. He felt Eren's worry and fears, they were not as hazy as normally. Levi almost chuckled as the thought of calling them feral, more focused on one thing at a time. Levi also could feel that Eren was scared but there was enormous amount of strength hidden behind his anger towards the woman who was looking at them silently.

Levi was not afraid as long as he had Eren by his side.

But...

"Eren," he said quietly. "Stand down. Don't make them shoot you."

The werewolf looked at the woman responsible for Levi's state and then back at Levi. Eren stepped away from Levi with a heavy heart.

Levi took few deep breaths as he lay there on the floor. He had to get up, he had to make sure they would not shoot Eren. Levi had promised to protect Eren. Their bond was built upon that promise. Levi had to move before the men got back with their guns. He could feel Eren's perceive eyes on him as he struggled to get up. Levi fought back the urge to snap at the wolf that he was fine but he felt in his bones that he was not.

That damn woman had gotten something right in that vaccine of hers. If it was that only he would die and no one else would be harmed, he would not mind dying but if the woman perfected this awful substance of hers it would mean thousands of meaningless deaths, innocent ones too. Besides realistically thinking Levi could not stomach the idea that if he gave up now, they'd most probably kill Eren on the spot as well. Unless they had plans on capturing other vampires.

The idea of Eren left alone, with someone else who might not be as considerate towards him, made Levi sick in his stomach. The next vampire replacing him could be ruthless and kill Eren without paying any mind to it. Levi knew that these thoughts were fueled by the bond, there was nothing he could do about it. Levi understood what his uncle had meant when he warned him about breaking the promises he'd make to his mate.

The feeling urging him to protect was overwhelming and Levi could see that if he ignored it then nothing good would come out of it. How would he be able to live with himself if regret would tickle his thoughts?

Levi got up on shaky legs. He was sweaty and cold, feeling simply disgusting. His voice was rough when he spoke, addressing the woman beyond the bars, "I'll go willingly."

"Uuuh! Have you finally given up?" The woman's eyes gleamed. She looked too happy.

"Look at it how you will, I don't care." He could understand that she would think that way. He had been held captive for so long that it would not be surprising that he'd lose his will to live, right? Levi almost snorted at the thought because he had lost it, hadn't he? But then Eren had been locked in with him. Eren changed it all.

The mad woman looked amused. "Interesting," she said clucking her tongue.

Levi walked slowly towards her. He stopped before her. He didn't care what she thought was interesting. He needed them to leave Eren alone. He did not want to even imagine what they'd do to the young wolf. As soon as the thought entered his mind, all he saw was Eren's fur bloodied, his lifeless form, before his eyes. Levi felt a new wave of nausea hit him.

The men returned with the guns. Levi swallowed thickly as he saw them raised the barrels towards the wolf. Levi stepped in between the gun and Eren. "There is not need to subdue him."

One of the men with a gun gave the woman a hesitating and questioning look.

She smiled maliciously as she held Levi's gaze.

Levi waited for what felt like an eternity to hear what her decision was.

"Keep the guns ready but don't shoot unless the werewolf attacks," she finally said.

Levi sighed, hoping he would be coming back alive, giving Eren one last glance before he was dragged out of cell.

* * *

><p>"I see you got friendly with the dear werewolf I gave to you as a present," the woman commented. "You know you are stupid for trying to protect him?"<p>

She had witnessed everything that had transpired in the cell so there was no reason to deny it but still Levi glared at the woman who was responsible for all the pain he had gone through during his captivity. "Why would I do that?" He had been brought to her torture chamber once again. He knew the place well.

All too well.

He had let the goons of hers tie him up but this time Levi knew he would be able to break free any time he wanted. He would do it if she went too far. He would happily shred her into tiny little bits. Levi was seriously considering of doing that.

She only smiled at him. "Oh," she suddenly paused. She had touched Levi's shoulder and the vampire hadn't been able to keep a gasp of pain at bay. "What's this?" she asked as she noticed the wound under his shirt. "Did he bit you when you fed from him?"

Levi considered not answering her at all but the idea that she presented was too precious of a chance to miss. "Yes, he did." Levi was left to wonder why her touch hurt so much. She had only laid her hand over it and he had felt as she had pressed a hot iron against his skin.

The woman's mad cackle filled the room. "This is priceless! The werewolf is not as nice as you thought, now is he?" She giggled for a while but her smile turned smug soon. "So the mighty fall," she drawled. Her eyes held no sympathy. Her heart was cold as ice. "Let's take that blood sample. I want to know what exactly went wrong with my experiment."

She readied a needle, not being gentle with it when she plunged it into Levi's arm. "It's a shame that the werewolf did not eat you. I expected him to maul you at least." Disappointment colored her voice. "But he did bit you, though. That's nice." Her tone indicated that she really thought so too. "Maybe you'll feel more compelled to suck him dry now that he has sunk his little teeth in you." She was obviously having fun. When she had filled enough vials with Levi's blood she pulled the needled out and said, "Please, don't let my experiments go to waste."

"You can go to hell with your experiments." Levi swore that she would have no chance of having any further experiments on Eren. He knew he could stomach the sickness he was enduring if it meant that they could escape faster. He did not want to give the crazy woman a chance at perfecting her vaccine. Levi knew he and Eren had probably a few days before she would have another version ready. They needed to break free as soon as possible.

"You and me both, darling. You and all of your filthy kind will one day fall into the depths of hell. I'll make sure of it," her words carried years of malice.

"You know, not every vampire is a killer," Levi said. Maybe he had ran out of ideas or sanity to try to talk her out of this. It was useless he knew. For five months they had tortured him, for five months they had left him starve. Driven almost mad by the hunger Levi had eaten all the rats that dared to come near his cell. Now none of the rats came anywhere near it.

The woman cackled at his words. "You have sunk so low that you think talking to me will help?"

"Listen, I have no idea what has happened to you and what has made you like this and truth to be told I don't even care but you are threatening me and my people for some petty vengeance."

"Petty?!" The woman shrieked. "You call witnessing my own children getting murdered by your kind a petty vengeance?!" She was breathing heavily out of anger. "I will murder every single one of you!" she shouted completely out of her mind.

Levi looked at her calmly, calculating if he should take the risk and kill her right now. There was only her, two guards outside and them some patrolling out in the corridors and last but not least his own personal guard outside his cell. He knew the guards had silver bullets in their guns. He should be able to avoid those if he was fast enough and didn't hesitate. Plus, he had seen the fear in the guards' eyes whenever they saw him. They wouldn't have the resolve to shoot him on sight.

The one with the keys was the man outside his cell. The same man that was guarding Eren at the moment. Would I be a good idea to unleash a werewolf among these guys? Levi had to admit he didn't know if the rumors, that a werewolf's bite turned a human into one, were true.

There was one plus side to this whole thing. He would have more than enough blood to feed on. He felt that this was his 'now or never' type of chance. He was being held in place by chains that didn't look that tough. The shackles around his wrists would be another matter but that he could solve after he was free and back at home.

Levi couldn't see any faults in his plan other than he had no idea how to get out of the damn building. He had no idea where he was but he didn't think it was a problem, not really. Not when he had a werewolf by his side.

"You shouldn't have given Eren to me," Levi said and with a smirk grazing his lips, Levi yanked at the chains breaking himself free.

The last thing the woman had time to say was, "What-" before Levi broke her neck.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN**: Okay I need to warn you guys for graphic violence. So, if you feel squishy about such things, this chapter might not be your piece of cheese cake then.

But other than that! An early update so enjoy! I have no clue when the next chapter is going to be out other than very vague: some time next week.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 6<strong>_

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><p>Blood dripped down the lifeless woman's neck. Levi had sank his teeth into her neck as soon as her neck was broken. He swallowed the blood left in his mouth and licked his lips a satisfied smile on his face. She was finally dead. She wouldn't be able to hurt him or Eren ever again.<p>

He let her body fall down to the floor. Without looking he stepped over it, heading for the door. There should be two guards outside waiting for her orders to come and fetch him.

Orders that would never come.

Levi walked calmly to the door, he was feeling so much better now that he drank the blood that was not tainted. Even though her blood had not been anywhere as delicious as Eren's but it would have to do. He would kill every single one of these people and drink until he was satisfied.

He reached the door. He listened carefully, being able to pick up the faint voices of the two men conversing right outside. Levi would have to be fast if he wished to kill the two before they could react.

What would be the best way to do this? Open the door and let them in or should he just barge out? Levi had no hurry, no one had noticed anything amiss yet. He could take his time and thus he glanced at the body lying on the floor. Maybe there would be one more thing that woman could do for him even after death.

He made his way back over to her, grabbing hold of her and dragging her to the door. She weighed almost nothing in his hands. Levi felt an immense amount of sadistic pleasure. This was personal. It had become personal the moment they had started their torture on him. Even more so now that they had used Eren against him. He wouldn't forgive them. These people didn't need his pity as they had none to offer him.

"So the mighty fall," he quoted her words. She had fallen alright. She had thought she was mighty too. Levi couldn't keep the smirk off his lips as he stopped by the door. Lifting the woman's body upright, he steadied her.

Everything depended on how things would go once he opened the door.

Listening one more time for any sounds that would indicate anything out of the ordinary, he grabbed the door handle, wrenching the door open, the lock popping out of its socket. He had a split second to locate the guards on either side of the door. He pushed the body into one of the guard's arms, catching him completely off guard and unable to do anything while Levi attacked the other guard.

Maybe this was his lucky day because the men hadn't even gotten their guns ready. They clearly had not expected him to be free like this.

Quickly snapping the guard's neck, he moved to the other one who had finally realized what was happening. The man shrieked as he noticed that the woman was dead and he had a few seconds to look up to see Levi moving towards him.

Levi's hand closed around his throat, squeezing it tightly. "How do you want to die?" he asked from the guard who was gasping for breath. "Guess it doesn't matter, does it?" Levi said, sinking his claws into the man's throat, choking him.

The smell of blood made Levi lick his lips. Just before the man drew his last breath, Levi pulled him close and sank his fangs into his neck. He savoured the blood with the knowledge that he didn't need to hold back. He didn't need to worry if he was feeding too much.

His mind returned to Eren. It was too bad there would be nothing for him to bring for Eren to eat. He would have loved to present a feast to his mate. The grandest one he could ever give him. Something told him that Eren might not be pleased with it, though.

Putting that disappointing thought aside, Levi let the man's body fall to the ground. Just in case, Levi took one of their guns with him. There might come a time when it would become useful. Bullets would kill anyone, silver or not.

Levi made his way through the corridors that he had seen while he had been dragged to the other part of the dungeon. He wondered how big the whole complex really was if he had trouble remembering what turns to take. So far he had not run into anyone.

Until...

He heard footsteps.

He heard talking.

That meant there was more than one person coming on his way. He had nowhere to hide, he was closer to the end of the corridor where the noises came from than the way he had come from.

He needed to make a quick decision which ended up with him rushing towards the sounds. He pressed himself flat against the wall at the corner.

"Hahaha! You know she's not going to say no next time," said one of the men coming Levi's way. They were chatting without a care in the world while Levi waited them to be closer. He would have to be quick once again. He dearly hoped there was no one else than these... three?, he counted judging by the sounds of boots against the stone floor.

Gripping the gun with his both hands, he waited. He hoped the men were walking side by side or else he might have a complication or two.

The footsteps were getting closer and closer.

Their chatter was coming from just around the corner.

Levi counted seconds until he'd had to move, until he'd make his strike.

Levi saw the men rounding the corner, none of them noticed him until it was too late.

"You say so but-" the man was cut off when the back end of the rifle smashed into his face. Levi did not stay to wait or check how that worked out for him, he had already let go of the gun. The dumbfounded looks on the guards' faces were their last ones. Levi pushed one of the guard's head against the wall with all his might and the man fell unconscious. The third one had a knee smashing into his groin and neck snapped.

Levi ignored the unconscious one and went for the first one he had taken down. The man's face was covered in blood and Levi chuckled. Yanking the man up from the floor, he marveled at the work well done.

Levi proceeded on feeding off the two men when they were still alive. His thirst didn't quench. No matter how much he drank his mind kept drifting to Eren. It pained him that he would not be able to drink Eren's blood until his blood was purged of the toxic vaccine in it.

On the other hand, one thing was certain. He was getting stronger with each gulp that he took and his body buzzed happily with all the blood he was getting but his heart was not. He needed to get back to Eren. He tried to tell himself rationally that Eren was fine. The werewolf was probably snoozing in the corner of the cell. Whatever he tried to tell himself did not stop the urge to get back to Eren as fast as possible. He cursed the bond that made him feel this way.

Grunting in displeasure he pushed the body of the man he had just fed from, to the ground. He grabbed the gun and left the bodies of the three men after him. No one so far had heard anything, no one had paid any mind to the shrieks and sounds. Levi was almost certain it was thanks to the screams that their victims let out. No one was going to check if a scream or two came from the right person. Not for a one second did Levi think that he and Eren were the only ones that had ever been brought here.

Levi did not know who these people were and he did not care at this moment. He only wanted to be free.

He _needed_ to get back to Eren.

He stalked the halls, moving as quietly as he could because he was getting close. He passed by, what appeared to be a mess hall, in complete silence. No one looked up from their meals, no one paid any attention to him. He paused just outside of it, considering of massacring every single of those men that sat there with their happy faces, with their happy stories about outside life they got to live.

But he did not.

He continued on his way because Eren's innocent face came to his mind. Eren was young and had not lived through the times of war and devastation. Eren had not lived through the horrors of witnessing his own family die because of fear of the ignorant humans. Levi didn't need to kill these men to protect Eren. He would kill everyone who came between that goal and their freedom.

The chattering of the men in the mess hall drowned other sounds and Levi was suddenly face to face with two men. Why did these guys have to work in pairs? This time Levi was not so lucky to silence them in time. He had the time to attack the other one but the other man had time to shout.

"THE VAMPIRE IS LOOSE!"

There were three things that happened after that. Levi killed the man he had attacked first and moved on to the next one before he could aim properly with his gun. Levi did not care what kind of sounds his victims let out anymore since it didn't matter if they screamed as much as their little throats allowed. With a satisfying shriek from the man, Levi bit into his neck, drawing some of his blood. When the man's shrieks turned into moans Levi simply snapped his neck as well. He did not want to hear those sounds from anyone but Eren.

The third thing that happened was that the men from the mess hall piled into the corridor guns ready. Some of them were brave enough to come straight at him. They honestly thought they could subdue him just with brute force. Levi fought off each of the men who tried. He tried to keep an eye on the men with the guns, he tried his best not to be in a clear line of sight with their guns, shielding himself with the torsos of his attackers.

"SHOOT HIM!" bellowed a voice from one of the men at the mess hall doorway.

Levi held the last person that he had fought in front of himself. The man was still alive. "Beg for your life and I might let you go," Levi whispered into the man's ear.

"Guys, wait don't shoot!" the man cried out.

"What are you saying?! We need to bring him down! Those are our orders!"

Levi took this chance to count the men. There were six of them, five with guns. If he wanted to take them down, he'd need to dash into them and hope that it would catch them off guard.

"I don't want to die!" the man in Levi's arms cried. "Please, don't kill me," he directed his words to Levi this time with a quieter tone.

"Now you understand how I've felt this whole time," Levi whispered to the man.

"Aim well!" the man obviously in charge shouted.

"No!"

Levi tightened his hold that he had of the man. The man was shaking, truly scared to be at the gunpoint.

"You know they are going to shoot me through you. You are going to die either way," Levi told him.

"No, no, no," the man babbled devastated.

Levi took his chances. Before the order to shoot came, Levi lunged forward, pushing the man he held hostage into the herd of six men. He dashed as fast as he could, he knew that the men would not be able to follow his movements for a second or two and that was enough.

Levi did not waste time, snapping the neck of the first guy on the left. Second one received a kick to the back of his knee and head smashed against the floor. The third guy was already turning towards him to check what was going on his right but Levi was faster. His fist met the man's face, breaking his nose. The man fell down, clutching his nose and groaning in pain.

Levi let him be for the moment as he came face to face with a gun barrel. Quickly dodging downwards, kicking the legs out from under the man, Levi gripped the gun barrel and hurled the back of it into the face of man number five who stood behind the man now falling on his ass. Levi straightened himself up and locked eyes with one of the last two men who held no firearms.

Levi saw the leader of the group visibly gulp, Levi's previous hostage did not look any better, pale as snow.

Hearing the groans coming from behind him, Levi knew he had no time to waste. Soon there would be a bullet in his back if he did not hurry.

Levi decided to first take care of the man who had just fallen down because that said man was reaching for any spare gun he could find at the moment. The man received a kick to his face, that disoriented him enough to give Levi time to break his neck. "So fragile," he mused to himself and saw the two men he had left alone, scoot away from him. They were going to escape and Levi could not have that.

He took a gun from the floor, watching as the men tried to hurry away, their legs not carrying them because of the crippling fear.

Levi took aim and shot the man who had given orders in the shoulder. That slowed him down. The man clutched his injured shoulder, crying out with tears falling down his face.

The second man watched in horror. "Please don't, please I beg of you, please don't."

"You better run if you don't want to die," Levi said and lowered his gun. "If I ever see you again, I'll kill you."

"Understood," the man said with a shaky voice and scrambled to his feet, rushing out of the bloody scene.

Levi hoped he did understand and did not cause any more trouble, say, calling more guards or such. He had a feeling that the man would run without looking back. He had seemed that much of a coward after all.

But with that done, Levi was left with two guys with broken noses, one unconscious man that he did not need to worry about and then there was the leader who was crying with a bloodied shoulder.

Levi took a step towards one of the men who had their faces redone slightly. "I'd like to play more than this but I am in a bit of a hurry," Levi said to the man before gripping his head and twisting it, killing the poor guy. He heard the other guy with a broken nose move. That man made the same mistake of reaching for a gun. Levi stepped on his arm. It broke under the sudden harsh pressure. The man screamed.

"That's the spirit," Levi said, licking his lips. "I'll have a taste of you if you don't mind." He yanked the man's head back, sinking his fangs into his neck. After a gulp, he let the man go. "You taste like shit." Levi wasted no time snapping the guy's neck.

Levi looked down at the man who was lying on the floor unconscious, there was a blood of blood on the floor where he had hit his head. Since everyone else was either dead or crying like a baby Levi saw his chance of having a good meal. Just in case he listened to any sounds coming their way but his ears met complete silence if he did not count the faint heart beats he heard.

"Such a pity for you to die this way," Levi said, almost cradling the unconscious man in his arms. The man was a handsome one. If the man had been conscious and Levi had not been mated, he might have enjoyed playing with him in some other ways as well. Such a waste indeed, he thought as he sank his teeth into the guy's neck. At least his blood tasted better than the previous one's.

Keeping his eyes on the man still crying a few paces away, Levi drank savouring the taste of warm blood flowing down his throat. He heard the man in his arms moan. He told himself to just pretend it was Eren. He needed this blood to survive through the period of time that he would not be able to feed from Eren.

He kept on feeding until the noises coming from the unconscious man turned pained. Levi knew that he was close to death, his body reacting to the blood loss. Levi intended on drinking as much blood as it was necessary for the man to die from it. He'd grace this man with the pleasure of dying from blood loss. Levi did not want to break that beautiful neck of his.

"Last but not least," Levi said as he got up from the floor, taking the few steps needed to reach the man with a gun wound. The man had been reaching for a gun, finding some courage in his little heart. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Levi said.

"You are going to kill me either way," the man said out of spite.

"Yes, I am. But I might have spared your life if you had begged like the other one did."

"As if," the man snarled.

"You'll never know, will you?" Levi took the gun that the man was reaching for. Taking a step back, he aimed the gun at the man once again. "Any last words?"

"Go to hell," the man spat.

"Gladly," Levi replied and pulled the trigger, shooting the man in the head. "Sleep well," Levi said and made his way towards the cell block area where he knew Eren was waiting for him. He was not that far away any more. Few more turns and he'd be together with his mate once again.

Only one left standing between him and Eren was the guard outside their cell. Levi could not be sure if there were any more people in the complex but none had come yet so he assumed that there wasn't that many left.

Levi knew that the guard must have heard the gunshots and the screams. He could not take a risk of getting shot right off the bat when he'd enter the cell block because he was sure that lazy ass bum guard was waiting for him.

Levi stopped right outside the door that lead to the area that the cell was. He listened but heard nothing. There was a small latch on the door that he could have peered through but it opened only on the inside.

This would be the most dangerous part of the escape so far. There was a long corridor leading from the door to the cell. The guard had visibility the whole way, there was no corners to hide behind. Levi could not be sure if the guard had a gun or not, he could not be sure if the guard was alone or if he had gone to get a gun hearing all the noises. Levi could not leave anything to chance.

Freedom was so close that he could taste it. He had seen a staircase on his way here and that was his best bet that would lead to some sort of exit. He only needed to get Eren out of here.

Levi decided to test out what was true and what wasn't. He opened the door, staying behind it the whole time.

Then he waited.

A silence followed for a minute.

"Come out of hiding. I know you are there," the guard's voice came somewhere near the cell.

Levi smiled. What should he say that would not give away his fear of failing? If only he knew if there was a gun pointing at the door. "Why won't you give me the keys and I'll let you live?" Levi suggested. There was no way he'd let the man live, though.

"Hah! Nice try blood sucker. Although I need to ask, why are you here? You could have escaped all by yourself," the man pointed out.

Levi had no answer, not a one that he could give the man. He would not tell him the truth but he had no good lie available either. "Let's just say that the werewolf will do nicely aiding my escape."

"Ooh, I bet there is more than that. I saw the way he was concerned about you. I saw you two cuddling each other. Should have known that nasty creatures like you love to nest together."

There had to be a way to check if the man had a gun or not.

"Don't worry, I called some reinforcements. They are on their way and your days are numbered," the guard boasted. "But first, I want to test out how much you need the werewolf. What would you say if I shoot him?"

Levi heard the man shuffle his feet and a clank against the bars. Levi eyes widened and he was about to rush to see what was going on when Eren snarled loudly. The way Eren snarled made Levi stay hidden. A loud bang went off and Levi realized that the man had pointed the gun towards him and not Eren. If the werewolf had not made the sound, Levi would be the one dead.

"You stupid mongrel! I would have had him had you not interfered. He'd be dead and I could have my break for fuck's sake."

Levi took a quick look at the man while he spoke. He saw the guard staring at Eren while spitting his words out. The guard was preoccupied with talking to Eren. Levi took that chance, moving as fast and quietly as he could.

The guard did not notice and continued his commentary, "But seems I was right. What is this mongrel to you anyway, blood sucker?"

"Just a way to distract you," Levi whispered into his ear.

The look on the man's face was priceless. His eyes looked ready to bulge out of their sockets and his mouth hung open.

Levi's hand closed around his throat. He kicked the man's legs from under him, bringing him down on the floor. The gun flew from the man's hands and clattered against the stone floor. The man tried to pry Levi's hand off but in vain.

"With great pleasure I will kill you. I've been forced to endure your company for the past five months. Your degrading comments, looks and you rattling your little keys in front of me. I've waited to kill you slowly and as painfully as I can," Levi said with much of hateful passion. He was boiling inside as he just looked at the man who had been his guard for so long.

"Where should I begin? Your legs? Or would you like me to snap your arms off just like little kids do with little ants. Tear away your eyes and feed them to you. Would that sound nice?" Levi ran his finger down the dirty cheek of the dirty man. "You might call me a blood sucker but you won't have the honor of experiencing that. Your blood revolts me," Levi spat on the man's face.

Eren whimpered from the cell. Levi didn't spare him a glance, not now when he had other things to attend to.

The guard gasped for his breath as Levi loosened his hold. "So tell me which is it?" Levi asked.

"Go fuck yourself!" the guard spat.

"Is that all you want to say?"

The guard glared at him, not saying a word.

"I see," Levi stated and tightened his hold on the guard's throat again. He squeezed hard, the guard's struggle to break free became erratic. Levi wanted him to drown in his own blood, he wanted him to suffocate to death.

Suddenly Levi let him go, the man spluttered. Levi smirked enjoying seeing him in pain as he was sure the man was feeling that. Levi got up, yanking the man upwards by his arm as well. He kneed him hard in the face. He broke his arm. Levi enjoyed the sounds the man made under his care. The blood thrilling way he moaned and screamed in pain.

Levi kicked him in the face one more time and let him fall on the ground. "You are weak, human," Levi said with satisfaction coloring his tone. Levi grabbed hold of one of the man's legs and twisted it unnaturally, hearing it pop. "Scream, scream you maggot," Levi chanted and kicked him. "How does it feel, huh?" he asked as he knew very well the way they had burned his skin, the way they had broken his bones to see how fast he healed.

The guard was lying on the floor, curled up, trying to protect his vital organs from Levi's kicks. Levi paused to look at him. The smell of his blood was disgusting but it drove Levi on. "Open up," Levi said to the man, grabbing hold of his head and reaching for his mouth. "Come on, old man, this will end sooner you open your filthy mouth," Levi coerced the man, trying to stick his fingers into his mouth.

"That's right," Levi said, faking a soothing tone. "Open up like a good boy." He was smirking sadistically and finally he got his fingers inside the slick cavern. He was not worried about getting bitten, the man would not have much time for that. Despite being completely disgusting thing to do, Levi grabbed hold of the man's tongue and sank his claws into it.

Then he tugged.

Blood spilled from the man's mouth as he tongue couldn't take the treatment. Levi withdrew his fingers quickly before the man could bite him. Oh, the wails of agony were music to Levi's ears. Now he was sure the man would choke on his own blood. Well, he would be if the man was not lying on his side. Levi pushed him on his back, trapping his head in place. He covered the man's mouth with his hand.

"I'll see you in hell," Levi whispered to him.

The man tried to claw at his hand on the mouth with his only healthy arm. Levi listened to the choking sounds the man made as his throat filled with blood and interfered with his breathing.

Levi watched silently as the man suffocated to death.

"Utterly disgusting but worth it," Levi said as he got up and dusted his pants off even though it was useless, the pair was dirtier than he ever wanted to admit. He wanted to get some fresh clothes as soon as possible.

Levi took the keys from the man's belt, jiggling them in his hands. He looked at Eren who had not moved any closer to the cell door. "Did you think I'd leave you here?" Levi asked from the werewolf as he inserted the key into the lock. When the wolf didn't move Levi paused. "Eren?" he asked. The wolf stared at him with his glowing yellow eyes.

Beautiful yellow eyes.

But so deadly at the same time.

"Eren," he said. "We need to get going or we will get caught. I am not willing to stay here any longer. Come." Levi opened the cell door, waiting for the big, hopefully not bad, wolf to come out.

Levi could not deny the fear that stuck his heart as the wolf stalked slowly towards him, with its head bowed and eyes glowing eerily. "Eren?" he asked uncertainly but he refused to take a step backwards.

Levi fingers gripped the iron bar of the door tighter when Eren bared his fangs at him and a low growl was heard.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **We have to go a bit back in time here, revealing Eren's side of the story.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 7<strong>_

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><p>Eren had tough time staying still when they took Levi away. He wanted to rush after his mate, he wanted to save him but the men with their guns and Levi's willingness to go with them were the two things that held him back.<p>

Eren had no choice but to wait. Still, that did not lessen the worry he had for the vampire. What if the mad woman ended up killing Levi? What was he supposed to do then? The dread was set deep in the pit of his stomach.

The future looked bleak if that was to happen. It did not help that there was growing anger inside Eren. He had hard time controlling his feelings when the full moon was up in the sky. Needless to say, he was very unhappy with the current situation. His mate had been taken away right in front of his nose and there had been nothing he could have done about it.

In the last few days Eren had grown accustomed to feeling Levi's presence near him and getting bits and piece of his mood transferred to himself but now there was utter silence, numbness that surrounded him. Uneasiness settled around his bones. Levi was too far away from him, that was how he felt and he could not stop thinking how he wanted to be reunited with Levi.

Being in the same room would be enough. To smell his scent would be enough. Which gave him an idea. Eren went to the area that Levi usually sat at and found his cloak there on the floor. Eren dragged it more to the center of the cell and settled down on it and crossed his paws. He buried his nose into the folds of the cloak and sighed. All he could do was wait.

Occasionally glaring at the guard, Eren tried to distract himself with thoughts of his friends. Oh, how he wanted to run free with Armin and Mikasa in the woods. That would have been what he would have been doing right now if he hadn't been captured. He missed them. If only they would be getting out of here soon...

Eren let his mind drift but his ears picked up a sound he did not want to hear.

A scream.

Eren lifted his head, listening carefully for any further sounds. He dearly hoped that had not come from Levi. Who else could it be? Eren tried to stay calm. It had been a faint one and it could have been anyone. Maybe his ears had heard wrong?

Eren lowered his head back down on top of his paws when he heard nothing else. A while later he heard another scream, then another. The sounds were getting closer. Eren stole a glance at the guard to see if he had noticed the sounds coming from somewhere.

One thing was sure, it was not Levi.

Then he heard the booming voice shouting, _"THE VAMPIRE IS LOOSE!"_

That was pretty close, Eren thought and a spark of hope was ignited in his heart. That shout could only mean that Levi was free.

The guard cursed under his breath and rushed out of the cell block. Eren rose to his feet and walked to the cell bars, listening carefully, ears perked upon his head. He heard commotion and more screams.

"_SHOOT HIM!"_

Eren couldn't help but move a little as he wanted to dash to save Levi. They were going to shoot him!

He stayed completely still as he listened to the sounds of commotion bounce on the stone walls.

"_Aim well!" _

Eren ears were perched up to catch the moment when a gun would go off. He prayed to the deities that Levi would survive.

Why are they not shooting?

Then there was a gunshot.

Blood in his veins froze.

Had Levi been shot?

The guard came back with a gun in his hands, closed the door, walking to the other end of the corridor and looking ready to shoot anything that came through the door.

Eren took a few steps back. The guard seemed not to be paying attention to him at all. Eren returned to the spot where the cloak was. If the worst had happened, this would be the only thing he'd have left of his mate.

Eren was restless. What was going on out there? He heard cries of someone who was not Levi. Eren believed to know something about the vampire's character to assume that he would not be crying like that even if he was hurt. Maybe someone else had been shot? The silence besides the crying was tormenting.

Eren hated waiting. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears as the seconds ticked by.

Then there was another gunshot.

Eren gulped. Complete silence followed that shot. Until...

There was faint footsteps coming closer to the door of the cell block. Eren doubted that the guard could hear them.

The door opened but no one came in.

"Come out of hiding. I know you are there," the guard's suddenly spoke out, pointing the gun determinedly towards the doorway.

"Why won't you give me the keys and I'll let you live?" Levi voice came out from the corridor beyond the door. He sounded fine, he sounded well. Eren's heart skipped a beat. Levi had come for him!

"Hah! Nice try blood sucker. Although I need to ask, why are you here? You could have escaped all by yourself."

The man was right but Eren knew deep down that Levi would not be able to leave him if he was feeling anything that Eren had felt himself while they had been apart. As far as Eren knew, new mates would not be apart willingly for long, the bond being too raw to handle the separation.

"Let's just say that the werewolf will do nicely aiding my escape."

"Ooh, I bet there is more than that. I saw the way he was concerned about you. I saw you two cuddling each other. Should have known that nasty creatures like you love to nest together."

Eren looked at the guard. He would have blushed if he had been in his human form. Being found out had been the thing they tried to avoid and here the guard was saying that he knew all along.

"Don't worry, I called some reinforcements. They are on their way and your days are numbered," the guard boasted. "But first, I want to test out how much you need the werewolf. What would you say if I shoot him?"

Eren took a step back when he heard the guard's words. But the man simply clanked the barrel of the gun against the bars and kept it pointed towards the door.

Eren had to do something. He cried out to Levi not to come out, hoping the vampire understood what his cry meant.

Luckily for him the vampire listened but the gun still went off.

"You stupid mongrel! I would have had him had you not interfered. He'd be dead and I could have my break for fuck's sake," The guard pointed his hateful words towards him, looking angry.

Eren returned the heated gaze of the man back in ten fold. The man had almost shot his mate!

Eren kept his eyes on the man when he heard the quiet shuffle of Levi's feet. He didn't catch the movement either but as long as he could distract the man...

"But seems I was right. What is this mongrel to you anyway, blood sucker?" The guard said with a smug look on his face, turning to look at the doorway again.

"Just a way to distract you," Levi's soft voice said.

Eren rested his eyes on his face. Levi didn't look like he was in pain or anything of the sort.

But what Eren witnessed next was shocking. He had expected Levi to simply snap the guards neck or something such as that nature but right in front of his eyes Levi tortured the man. The vampire did not save any words or methods to make the man pay for his actions.

It was cruel.

There was no remorse on Levi's face. On the contrary, the vampire looked too pleased in himself.

Levi is enjoying this, Eren thought as he fought back the feeling of nausea.

Despite his hate towards the people that had captured him, he could not prevent the horror creeping itself into his bones. He was seeing exactly what Levi was capable of and it scared him.

"Utterly disgusting but worth it."

That was the last straw for Eren. The nonchalant way that Levi said it was terrifying.

Instead of showing his fear, Eren took the offensive. He took a menacing stance and growled at his mate who was opening the cell door. Eren heard his mate calling his name but he decided to ignore his pleas.

Eren's blood was sizzling with anger. How had he let this person mate with him? Did the vampire have a heart? Eren did not know who he was more angry at, himself or Levi?

But then he saw the act of submission. Levi averted his eyes as Eren got closer.

Levi could not look into those beautiful eyes full of anger. How was it possible that the young wolf made him feel ashamed of what he had done when just a minute ago he had been so full of satisfaction?

Eren stalked closer, letting out another growl, staring right at Levi who refused to meet his eyes. Eren wanted to ask why had Levi gone so far? Why couldn't he just kill the man quickly? Eren hated mindless killing. He hated killing in general unless it was necessary. It had been indeed necessary to kill the man but in such gruesome way?

Levi stayed completely still.

Eren was just an arms length away from him.

The menacing stance had not faltered. Had the young wolf lost his mind? There were questions circulating inside Levi's head. What if this was it and Eren had lost his sanity? Levi felt his heart squeeze uncomfortably inside his chest.

"I have been here for a long time, Eren," Levi stated calmly. He hoped the young wolf would understand his reasons for torturing the guard before killing him. What else was there to say? Was he supposed to justify his actions to someone who had not endured the same pain that he had?

The heaviness of Levi's words reached Eren's ears and heart. Eren realized that Levi had indeed endured much more than he had in the hands of these people. Finally Levi looked at him and the seriousness of Levi's words was reflected in his eyes.

The anger disappeared, slowly ebbing away. It was not an easy feat for Eren to control his feelings. Eren relaxed his stance, taking the last few steps towards his mate and pressed his muzzle against Levi's chest.

The vampire seemed surprised by it and unsure what to do.

Eren flipped out his tongue quickly.

That dissolved the tension as Levi spluttered, "Oh god, gross. Don't ever do that again." The vampire raised his hand to touch Eren's head but lowered it back when he realized that it was covered in dried blood. "Disgusting," Levi scoffed.

Eren was still looking at him, nuzzling against his chest. Eren felt so much better now that Levi was back. He wanted to tell him how worried he had been all this time.

"What are you looking at?" Levi asked. "Why do I even ask? We have to go. We don't have time for this."

Eren took a step forward as he pressed his forehead against Levi's chest, catching the vampire off guard again.

"Eren," Levi said softly, fighting back a sigh. He was not good at these displays of affection type of things. Despite his hands being dirty he decided to touch the wolf anyway. He raised his hands to rub the back of Eren's ears. "Come on," he continued with the same tone. "We need to go."

Eren whined when Levi stepped back away from him.

"You can lick my face all you want when we are free," Levi told him. "Stay quiet and close to me. There might still be people upstairs."

Levi took the guard's gun with him.

They made their way to the staircase that Levi had seen. Levi grimaced as they passed the corridor where he had fought with the men. He did not want Eren to see the blood or the bodies but there was nothing he could do about it now.

Eren slowed down his pace, looking at the horrifying scene before his eyes.

Levi didn't need the bond to tell him that Eren was unsettled by what he had done. "This is what I am," Levi said quietly. "But the last time I killed people like this was over a hundred years ago." Why was he explaining himself to Eren? Why did it feel important to say it?

Pushing those questions out of his mind, Levi went on to the staircase. He beckoned Eren over and spoke to him quietly. "I'm going to take a peek. Wait until I say it is safe." Levi hoped that Eren understood how important it was that he stayed hidden.

Levi ascended the stairs carefully which curved a half circle upwards. Soon he reached the top of the stairs. As a precaution Levi laid down against the stairs to carefully look around from the mouse perspective. He heard nothing and saw no one. There was a corridors with doors to each direction. Slowly he got up and took a step into the corridor.

Nothing.

The silence was eerie. It didn't bode well.

It was too good to be true. It meant that they could not relax just yet.

But which way to go? Left or right?

Choosing right Levi stalked forward carefully. He did not let his guard down, listening to any small noises that could be significant. He peeked around the corner and saw a window at the end of the corridor, right next to a door. The moonlight illuminated the scenery outside. Levi could see a tree line in the distance. If he made a quick estimate, then from the door to the woods it was probably fifty meters.

They would only need to get to the trees and they would have more cover than they could ask for. Levi returned to the top of the stairs and called out for Eren. The werewolf came the stairs up with some difficulty, obviously not used to climbing such thing when transformed.

Levi led him to the end of the corridor, halting their movements before they rounded the corner to the seemingly too good to be true salvation.

"Before we go. I want you to be cautious until we are a safe distance away from here. There could be anyone out there so be ready to run as fast as you can. Don't wait for me. Don't look back, just run," Levi ordered him calmly. "I'll take care of anyone who gets in our way."

Eren was not happy with this plan. How could he possibly leave Levi behind if something went wrong?

"Don't worry," Levi said as he could feel the worry practically radiate from the werewolf. "I've been in worse situations than this." What he said was true but he hoped Eren would not ask about it later.

Levi once again stalked towards the door, peering carefully out of the window as he went. He didn't see anyone. "They probably heard the gunshots. There could be someone hiding somewhere. Once I'm outside, you run towards those trees out there. I'll be right behind you," Levi said as reassuringly as he could.

As soon as Levi opened the door, a man appeared at the doorway, pointing a gun towards them. Levi was not phased by this. "Idiot," he said as he disarmed the man quickly, elbowing him in the head in the process. The man fell down unconscious.

"Let's go." Levi stepped over the man and made his way outside. The man seemed to have been alone. There was only open ground between them and the woods. "Run!" he ushered the young wolf.

There was no rain of bullets or any other guards trying to stop them. Levi watched Eren dash across the ground as fast as he could. He could only marvel at the beauty of such a big beast running. Levi ran after him but not without taking a look back. He realized that they had come across some sort of back entrance, probably an old servant entrance to the building that stood tall, looming over the landscape. His uncle would have loved to own such a place but Levi put that thought away as he followed Eren into the woods.

In a few hours the sky would start getting lighter in color. Levi did not know where they were at this very moment as he ran, but he'd worry about it when they were certain that they were not being followed. He heard the wolf paw his way through the woods but he didn't see him anymore. He did not worry since he was sure Eren would find him even if they got separated. If he knew anything about canines, it would their ability to sniff things out.

Levi had not told Eren to stop and after a minute or two Levi could not hear him anymore. Levi relaxed into a light jog. The forest was not dense anymore but even so there was no sign of Eren. Was the wolf still running? Levi hoped not.

He chuckled to himself as he realized that there was really no way for Eren to run that far away.

The ache was there.

It had been worse just a minute ago and now it was getting better.

It meant that Eren was coming back and the distance between them was getting shorter.

Before he heard Eren, he saw him. The wolf was coming back cautiously stopping to look around, moving with precise and silent movements.

"I knew you'd come back," Levi stated as soon as Eren was within earshot. "We need to get somewhere safe before the sun rises." Levi had a small concern of not finding a hiding spot from the rays of light that could kill him. Maybe now would be a great time to figure out which part of the country they were. Levi looked at the signs available for him. He knew that the time was probably around three or four in the morning, the moon was setting. The darkest point of the night had already passed. Th sun would be rising in few hours. Levi had no way of knowing which way the sun was going to rise while they were in the woods.

So he decided to do the next best thing. He talked to Eren, "I need you to stay awake and mark the direction the sun rises from, okay?"

The wolf nodded as they walked on. From time to time Levi looked back and saw nothing. The building had long since disappeared from their sights and only from a higher ground they could probably see it. Seeing nothing also meant that they were not being followed.

"We have two hours before the sun rises," Levi said as he went through the options in his head. "We need to spend the day in these woods. It is highly unlikely that we run into any village or house for that matter. As far as I know, that place was well hidden." Levi remembered the long trip he had endured when he had been captured. He couldn't remember hearing any additional voices than the ones who had captured him. He had been shielded from the sun and thus had not seen the route.

If only they could find higher ground...

"Eren, could you do some scouting and try to find a hill or something that would tell us where we are? Or if you see a house or town, anything worth while, come back. I'll keep heading towards the direction we are now going." There was no other option.

Eren nudged Levi's arm and when the vampire turned to look at him, he jumped a little to lick Levi's cheek quickly.

"Ugh!" Levi had not thought that Eren would remember his promise about the licking. He had not really meant it but he could certainly trust Eren to think so.

Eren let out a noise that made Levi wonder, did the werewolf just snort? But before he could had a chance to comment the werewolf took off. Levi watched him go, knowing that Eren wouldn't be far away.

Eren was gone for over an hour. During that time the wolf had time to think. Eren circled around Levi, keeping the maximum distance that the bond permitted. Eren needed that distance right now. Vivid images of bloodied corpses and the stench of blood in the air were still fresh on his mind.

"_This is what I am."_

Despite the small regret of mating Levi, Eren couldn't deny the fact that Levi had set them free. Levi had done so by risking his life.

But Eren knew that if they had not been bonded, mated, Levi would have left him there to rot. Eren highly doubted that Levi would have enough compassion to save a werewolf.

Eren couldn't decide if he was lucky or not.

While figuring that out, Eren saw nothing worth while in the woods. No big hills to climb, no houses, no towns. Nothing.

It was getting bright. Sun was going to soon appear on the horizon. Eren needed to get back to Levi. The vampire must be tired by now. Eren wasn't feeling that much better himself. He made the final round and came across a big old tree that had fallen down. Eren checked it carefully. The ground under it was dry. It would provide the much needed cover for Levi for the day.

Eren returned to Levi and his guess was right. Levi was not walking as steadily as he should have. Eren nudged Levi on the side and Levi stumbled.

"Hey," the protest leaving from the vampire was tired.

Eren didn't let the vampire fall, grabbing the back of his shirt with his teeth quickly. He helped Levi stable himself and then nudged his head under the vampire's arm, trying to message him to get on his back.

"What?" Levi asked. He was darn happy to see the werewolf again but he didn't understand exactly what was it that Eren tried to do. He was exhausted. The gun he had been holding all this time, slipped from his hand to the ground.

Eren whined, still trying to maneuver Levi to his back by lowering down. This wasn't something he would normally do but he needed to get Levi to safety as fast as possible. If only the vampire took the hint!

"I can walk," Levi said but Eren growled at him. Levi laughed, not being able to stop himself. Levi had no idea where the werewolf was trying to take him but he complied, climbing on his back and holding on tight, his arms around Eren's neck.

Eren was careful with his speed and movements not to drop the exhausted creature on his back. Eren trudged the distance, knowing that they still had time.

He brought the vampire to the fallen tree. It was perched just above ground, still hooked to the ground by its roots. Helping Levi down, Eren watched as the vampire judged the tree with his eyes.

"This will do well," was all the Levi said. He was not happy about sleeping on the ground but if it meant survival then he could not complain. Feeling drained, he slumped on the ground, trying to find a good position to sit against the tree and try to get some sleep.

Eren watched the vampire sigh and grunt while rolling around like a small child not happy with anything. Eren decided to step in, literally. Nudging the vampire as close to the tree trunk as possible, listening to his little protests, Eren laid down. He licked Levi's face and got some more protests thrown on his face.

"Ugh, god damn, stop licking me!"

Eren licked some more out of spite. Levi had raised his dirty hands to prevent Eren reaching his face so Eren licked his hands instead. The taste of copper hit his tongue but the taste did not bother him. What did, was that he knew where the blood had come from.

"What are you doing?" Levi asked as Eren cleaned his hands, his long tongue sweeping over his fingers. Levi felt stupid for asking. The werewolf couldn't answer him. He let Eren clean his hands. His eyes were drooping and he let his hands fall on his lap because he was too tired to hold them up anymore.

Eren finished the cleaning as well as he could, seeing Levi falling asleep. He nudged the vampire closer to his own body, shielding him from any possible rays of sunlight and giving him some warmth. The days were not so warm anymore. Eren made sure that Levi was covered as much as possible. The vampire seemed to be already asleep and unconsciously seeking the heat, cuddling into Eren's side.

Looking at Levi's sleeping face, Eren wondered, before he closed his own eyes, how could someone with such an innocent looking face kill so mercilessly?


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

* * *

><p>Several times during the day Eren woke up, his ears picking up various noises, disturbing his sleep. None of those sounds were important, though. Only small animals going about their lives around them. A gust of wind went through the trees, rustling the leaves gently.<p>

The peaceful nature around them had Eren believe that there was nothing bad in the world for a moment. The sun was setting but Levi was still asleep. He was no longer curled upon Eren's side and the sun light was not a threat, so Eren decided that he no longer needed to stay transformed. They did after all need to discuss things and he could hardly do it as a wolf.

As soon as Eren was back to his human form, he stretched his limbs. He shivered in the cool air, his arms above his head. He heard the leaves rustle on the ground where Levi slept. Eren glanced at the vampire who was rubbing his eyes. Eren didn't waste time as he blobbed down next to Levi, leaning on his hand. "Do you need blood?" he asked from his mate who was slowly returning to consciousness. "Do you think it is safe for you to drink it yet?"

Levi groaned. Just the mention of blood had his mouth watering and not just any blood but Eren's. "I think it's better if I don't." As hard as it was for him to say that, he did not want to take the chance that he'd get sick because of the blood.

"Alright," Eren simply said.

The way Eren looked down on him, made Levi overcome with the feeling that they were the only ones in the world at that very moment. The serenity of their surroundings strengthened the feeling.

"It's chilly out here," Eren randomly commented, shivering, not sure if it was just from the cold.

Levi just had to point out the obvious, "You are naked, you know?" Levi had not been in his right mind to even notice that Eren had shed his clothes back in the cell. His memories of those moments were a little fuzzy. But now it was hard to miss the fact.

Eren had the audacity to giggle. "I see you are alright then, hmm?" At least Levi had been paying some attention to his surroundings, Eren noted.

Levi narrowed his eyes slightly. "What?" He was not following Eren's logic.

"Because you noticed," Eren said flippantly. "Feeling frisky?"

Levi raised his eyebrows at the question. "No, not particularly."

"It's just that..." Eren leaned closer and trailed a finger down on Levi's cheek. "There is some time before the sun sets so I just thought.." Eren trailed off, letting the suggestion hang in the air. It was true that they'd need to wait out until the sun was truly beyond the horizon. Eren was sure that Levi did not want to risk of getting burned just because they were on the run.

Eren's suggestion had come out of nowhere. "What exactly goes on in that furry head of yours?" Levi asked, tilting his head to the side into Eren's touch.

Eren blushed, his ears flattening themselves against his head. "Nothing, absolutely nothing." He was embarrassed, averting his eyes from Levi's face. Why had he even said anything?

Eren tried to pull his hand away but Levi grabbed it quickly, giving the palm a small kiss meant to calm his mate. "I wouldn't say that since you came up with this suggestion."

Eren tried to play it off appearing casual. "Just to kill time, you know."

"Just to kill time," Levi repeated Eren's words with his tone full of suspicion. "You could try to be a bit more romantic you know. Would it hurt your little werewolf tongue, hmm?" Not that Eren's tongue was small, Levi had come to notice that.

Eren was floored. "What? You want me to be romantic? Since when?" He would have thought that Levi would not care for such things.

"Isn't that how it is supposed to go?" Levi asked. "You seduce me and I might consider your offer."

"I hate you already," Eren frowned but a smile fought its way on his lips.

"I love you too," Levi said as a joke but the look on Eren's face made him regret it. A cold feeling seeped into the pit of his stomach.

Eren went pale, his eyes no longer warm. Eren slipped away, turning his back to Levi as he got up. "Never mind. I'm going for a run," he said before transforming and dashing to the woods.

Levi sighed, sitting up. It seemed his joke had hit home and not in a good way. He ruffled his hair to get the leaves and dirt out. He could not wait to be back at home.

Home.

That place had never felt like his true home. His clan members had always thought his uncle was weird and thus labeled him into the same category. Not bonding to anyone had not really helped the cause. In his clan bonding was the highlight of vampire's life and of course if possible, it was best to bond to someone who would benefit you in some way. It was all politics and Levi hated it.

But now he had a mate, someone he was bonded to. Yet, he had just caused him to run away from him.

Success!

Levi made a note not to joke about things such as love. He pondered whether or not to ask about it from the young man once he got back.

In the meanwhile, Eren ran.

He ran until he was out of breath.

He had panicked. It hurt to hear such words fall so easily from Levi's lips. Eren knew he was joking and that was why it hurt. Eren knew he was being stupid. He knew but still he had wanted to drown the pain in his heart with real, physical, one.

It was the lack of emotion that scared Eren. Levi joked, saying things but there was no real emotion behind anything he said. Eren did not get back from Levi the happiness that he associated with jokes. He didn't really know much about Levi. What had the vampire told him about himself? That he was over two hundred years old, that he... was fine with killing? Was that it? Eren couldn't remember anything else that stood out.

Eren looked towards the direction he was supposed to go. He would need to talk to the other man but he did not want to leave the wolf form. He felt at home while roaming around as a wolf but there were plans and things they needed to discuss no matter how Eren felt.

Eren started his jog back. The feeling of hunger reminded him that he'd need to find something to eat. Levi had it easy, didn't he? Maybe he could go hunt later on at some point? Either way Eren needed to get back to Levi and man up enough to talk to him.

When the fallen tree came into view Eren transformed back to human form and walked the last hundred meters. His soles were used to the rough ground. But still he shivered. He needed to get clothes if they intended to carry on like this.

As soon as Eren reached the spot he had left Levi at, he asked, "Where are we going?"

"Home."

The answer was simple but to Eren it meant venturing into territory he probably shouldn't go. "Your home?"

"Yes." Levi had to explain it to Eren. "We need to at least stop there. I need to inform them of my situation."

"You mean me." It was not a question but a statement and it was confirmed with a nod from Levi. "And who are _they_?"

"The council of elders who ran the clan's business. It would be extremely rude of me not to tell them that I'm bonded." It would be more than that. Levi had no idea how heavily they'd take the fact that he was not mated to another vampire but to a werewolf. Worst case scenario would include total exile for him and of course for his mate or that was what Levi hoped would be the worst they'd do. They would not benefit anything from killing Eren but somehow Levi could still imagine them doing it anyway. Levi pushed that thought aside, hoping that he would not need to think of it ever again.

Eren didn't quite understand it as in his pack they were free to do as they pleased. Well, most of them were, Eren thought bitterly. "Are we going to stay there?" Eren missed his home and if Levi wanted to stay with his clan then what could Eren do? Fight for his right to return home as well?

"If we can, we probably should for some time. It all depends on how they take the news. Either way I need to speak with my uncle about this whole ordeal." His uncle might have some insight on those people who had captured them. His uncle traveled a lot and thus heard things that might not normally reach their clan's ears.

"I should get home as soon as possible," Eren told him. "They must be worried sick." Eren could only guess how badly his mother and father were looking for him. Not to mention his friends and other pack members.

Levi nodded. "Then we will make our business with the council as brief as possible and I'll take you home."

Eren couldn't stop the relieved smile forming on his lips. "Thank you," he said and really meant it.

"It's not a problem, kid." Levi didn't know exactly how to respond to something so sincere. That smile of Eren's could melt the whole polar cap if he tried. "We need to get you some clothes. It is not decent to walk around naked, you know."

Eren smirked. "Is it bothering you?" He considered traipsing around naked more often if it did bother the vampire.

"You gotta be kidding me," Levi murmured under his breath. "Are you some sort of exhibitionist?"

"What is wrong with me being naked? It makes transforming so much faster and I don't need to worry about tearing my favourite shirt or something each time." Besides it was fully normal for him to be naked. No one in his pack batted an eye if someone walked around naked.

"So you can transform at will?"

"Yes, of course I can. Full moon is the only exception," Eren said as if it was obvious. Eren was growing impatient with all this waiting. They would need to get going soon. The sun had just disappeared beyond the horizon. "Have you figured out where we are?"

"Somewhere north I'd say, we need to get south which is where we came from."

"Shit," Eren cursed.

"My thoughts exactly."

"Guess we need to get going then? How far do you think we'll get in during the night?"

"We have seven or so hours to find somewhere to spent the day at before the sun rises again. We have quite a distance to travel. We need to get far in south where my clan lives. I am able to tell you the exact distance once I am sure where we are."

"We need to get around that hellhole we just got out from."

"We will. They might be searching for us but don't worry, they won't catch us. We'll stay far away from it."

"We could sprint past it if I carry you. I can't carry you the whole way to your home though. I'm not a horse." Besides he had no idea where he was going.

"And I would not ask you to. I have my pride."

He is ashamed to be seen with you, Eren thought. This is going to be great, just perfect, such sarcastic thoughts filled his head.

Levi was left to wonder what Eren was mad this time? He could sense it through their bond like a little itch that he wanted to rid of. "What did I do now?"

"What?" Eren asked irritated.

"I did something wrong obviously. Eren, tell me."

"Tell you what? That I have my pride too but I still offered to carry your sorry ass past those guards if there is any!" Eren just exploded. He couldn't control himself and he didn't know why.

Levi was a little shaken but he tried not to show it. He doubted that telling Eren to calm down was going to do anything. It would make it worse. He did not want to go through the wrath of a werewolf.

So he did the next best thing he could think of. He moved fast, kicking Eren off his feet. The werewolf looked surprised but he had no time to retaliate when Levi captured him in his arms and sank his fangs into his neck.

The act did everything Levi needed it to do. Eren relaxed in his arms, gasping for breath. Not only because of the bite but also because of the cold metal of Levi's shackles around his wrists coming into contact with his skin. Levi did not, however, swallow the blood he sucked into his mouth. He pulled away, spitting it out on the ground. He hated to waste such a delicious thing but the risk of getting sick was too high. "Have you calmed down?" he asked already knowing the answer. He licked the puncture wounds to close them.

"Yeah," Eren said breathless, clutching on Levi's shirt. "I don't know whether to be happy or angry, though." Not knowing whether to be happy or angry about the fact how easily Levi calmed him with a single bite. Eren felt his mark tingle and that was something he did not appreciate at this moment.

"When you are ready, we need to go. Transform if you like. We are going east and try to reach the coast. We could take a ship or a train from the coast to south," Levi listed their options as the image of the map of the country flashed in his mind. If he was right then they would have no trouble getting home overall. "If it is safe that is," he added as an after thought.

"I think going to coast is far better idea than trying to get around that building." Eren liked the idea a lot. It would mean they could escape by mingling among people, hide away without making much of an effort.

"Indeed, but we still need to be careful. We'll steal some clothes wherever we find some." Levi ran his tongue over his teeth. The blood left a weird after taste inside Levi's mouth. He wondered if it was because of the vaccine. He'd give it some time before he actually fed from Eren. Just to be on the safe side he might have to keep his hunger at bay for quite a while. At least he was not hungry yet which was a good situation to be in.

Eren cleared his throat. "You can let me go now." Levi held him as if he was something precious which Eren doubted the vampire would ever call him.

Without a word Levi gently released Eren from his arms. He stood and looked at the horizon, where the sun had disappeared behind, before setting towards the opposite direction. "It is going to be a cold night. You are better off in wolf form, Eren." By the time the words had left his mouth Eren was already walking by his side as a wolf. "Good boy," he said, patting Eren on the head.

As an response he got a short snarl but Levi picked up no real anger from the young wolf.

As they made their way towards the coast Eren realized he had not apologized for his sudden outburst. But he also noticed that Levi did not even seem phased by his angry words and thus not asking for an apology. Either way, Eren decided that when he had the chance he'd say he was sorry. He didn't know what had suddenly come over him. He had lost complete control of his emotions. He had boiled over like a kettle.

The growing hunger did not help with the uneasy feeling he had been feeling for a while now. His emotions were all over the place and he could not settle for anything. One minute he wanted to be really close to Levi and the next he hated his guts. Not to mention the sick feeling that sloshed inside him, getting stronger every now and then.

Eren was walking ahead of Levi when he suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to vomit. He hadn't eaten anything so he ended up dry heaving but it did not go unnoticed by Levi who reached him in a few strides.

"Are you alright?" There was concern in Levi's voice which Eren found surprising.

Eren shivered but this time from wave of the nausea. He could not explain this. It certainly could not be anything he had eaten. Eren ignored Levi's inquiry and as soon as he felt fine again he walked on.

Levi watched the wolf go with a worried look on his face. Was the young wolf really fine? The vaccine could have any type of side effects on Eren. Then he heard the growling of Eren's stomach. "Eren, wait." The wolf stopped but did not turn to look at him. "You need to eat. We can hunt if you want."

There had been no signs of anyone living in these woods so only choice was to hunt. The woods were full of life at night. Even at the moment Levi could pick up sounds around them.

"No, just wait here," Levi told Eren suddenly. "I'll get you something."

Before Eren could protest the vampire was gone. And so Eren just sat down. He was secretly grateful that Levi had offered to go. He was feeling a bit squishy, not knowing if he could keep still long enough to stalk a prey.

A wave of nausea washed over him again but this time Eren did not have to heave. He sat and listened to any sounds of Levi returning. It took a while before suddenly the vampire hopped next to him. Eren jumped a little.

"You must be seriously unwell if I managed to scare you," Levi said noticing Eren's reaction. He hadn't even tried to be quiet on his way back. The werewolf had been on his own world. Levi waved two little rabbits in front of Eren. "Are these good enough?"

Eren did not even want to know how the vampire had managed to get his hands on the rabbits. Eren would have imagined them to be too fast for the vampire to catch.

"Do not wolf these down too fast," Levi advised with a smirk.

Eren would have made a face at him but he was too hungry to bother.

Levi dropped the rabbits in front of Eren and watched as the wolf ripped into their soft flesh like nothing. Levi was worried. The werewolf did not seem willing to tell him what was wrong with him. If this continued Levi didn't know what he was supposed to do? Should he suck the bad blood out of Eren? Would something as such help the young wolf?

Eren ate a small amount at first, fearing for the nausea to come back. He left the other rabbit untouched for a few minutes. The food seemed to stay down so he finished his meal. He took a step towards Levi who quickly raised his hands in front of his face.

"I get it, don't even think of licking me!" There was no way he'd let the wolf, who had just eaten raw meat, lick his face.

Eren's chuckle came out as a string of odd whines. He pressed his head under Levi's arm, nudging his ribs gently. He just wanted to show how grateful he was.

"You just like a regular dog, aren't you?" Levi teased the wolf whose eyes were peering into his own. The werewolf snorted at him. "I hope you are feeling better now. I can't have you passing out on me when you are transformed." Levi did not want to know how heavy the wolf was. Carrying Eren in his human form would be no problem but he didn't even know where to start with the huge wolf.

Levi was scratching Eren behind his ear absentmindedly until he realized what he was doing, stopping immediately. "Right, let's go," he said, his voice and appearance uptight.

Eren was disappointed when the nice scratching stopped but he guessed that was the pinnacle of the amount of affection he could get out of the vampire.

Eren picked up his pace after about half an hour of walking. He jogged faster and faster until he broke into a run. He thought he had seen something up ahead and he wanted to check it up before Levi reached it.

What he saw, when he reached the top of a small hill, gave him hope. There was a small cottage in a valley. What Eren had first saw was the smoke coming the chimney, illuminated in the darkness by the moonlight. Someone was home. There were lights in the windows. Eren could even see someone moving inside, casting shadows.

Eren returned to Levi as fast as he could.

The vampire had also picked his pace slightly when the werewolf had disappeared into the distance. He wondered what the wolf had seen. He didn't need to guess for long when Eren materialized into his human form just a few meters away from him.

"There is a cottage not far from here. There are people there so we could ask for directions or something," Eren suggested.

"And what do you think they'll say when you show up at their door completely naked?"

Eren looked startled but regained his composure quickly. "I did not mean it has to be me!" he hissed at Levi.

Levi eyed him amused by his reaction. "Then help me a bit," he told the werewolf, showing him one of his wrists. "Tear this sleeve up some more so I can fit it through under the shackle. We cannot let them see these or there will be a gun on my face faster than I have time to say 'We come in peace'."

Eren did as Levi requested and they fixed the sleeves of his button up shirt over the shackles to best of their ability. Eren checked his overall appearance. "There is blood on your shirt."

"That won't be a problem."

Eren grabbed hold of Levi's arm when the vampire was about to walk past him. "You won't kill them, right?"

Levi looked up at him with a raised eyebrow. "I am not going to kill anyone as long as I don't have to. I'll just talk to them and if they do not tell us anything then we go on our way. End of story."

Eren nodded as he released the vampire.

"You better come along as a wolf. Just in case we need a speedy escape."

Eren didn't answer as he transformed while Levi walked towards the direction Eren had come from. Eren led him to the cottage and Levi stopped to look at it for a while.

"Looks like a hunter's cottage. This could be a problem. You better stay out of sight until I am sure they won't shoot me on sight."

Eren watched silently as Levi made his way to the cottage, hoping that everything would be fine.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

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><p>Levi knocked on the door of the cottage, hiding his hands behind his back, trying to appear casual. What Levi had not told Eren was that he had every intention of getting whatever he could out of this cottage. Eren didn't need to know of his plans. The werewolf would have stopped him.<p>

Levi listened to the movement inside the cottage, getting ready to face whoever it was that would open the door. Levi readied himself to pull off the best performance of his life. Soon enough he was face to face with a burly man with a beard that reached his belly.

"What can I do for you?" the burly man asked with suspicious look on his face. Guess no one really comes by these parts.

"Hello, I got separated from my hunting party earlier today and then I saw the lights here so I thought that maybe you could tell me exactly where I am so I could find my way back to my friends?" Levi gave the man the kindest smile he could muster.

"You were hunting?"

"Ah yes, well no. I was doing the skinning and I said I'd be fine on my own but guess not," Levi said and laughed awkwardly. It was a pain to pretend to be a freaking idiot.

The man looked at him as if Levi was indeed an idiot. "Well we are five kilometres from the border. The lake Chia is one kilometre that way," the man said, pointing out behind Levi. "And this is the Valley of Lilies."

"Aaah!" Levi let out an uncharacteristic yelp. "Now I know where I am!" He smiled widely, smirking knowing his fangs were showing. He saw the man's eyes widen for a brief moment before Levi punched him in the face.

The burly man fell, unconscious, to the ground. "Thank you for your kindness, sir," he said with a monotone, his voice coming down from the high pitch one he had used when talking to the man.

Levi heard the wolf paws hit the ground in rapid pace as he stepped over the body of the big man passed out on the door way. "He is not dead," Levi said to Eren who appeared at the doorway seconds later. "I just knocked him out. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Levi took a quick look around the cottage, trying to spot anything that they might need. He saw a trench coat, hanging on a coat rack, clearly not belonging to the burly man. Surely he wouldn't miss that. He rummaged through every single place he could think of to find Eren some clothes. He came upon an oversized sweater and a pair of horrible looking pants with camouflage print on them.

"These will have to be good enough. What do you say?" He showed the pants to Eren but the werewolf stayed in his wolf form. "Guess so." Levi put the coat on and placed the other clothes on his arm. He remembered Eren's ears. He took a ridiculous looking hunting cap from the coat rack as well.

Last thing he took was any money he found on the guy's belongings. There was only a fifty in his wallet. They wouldn't get too far with that but it was better than nothing. "We're good to go," Levi told the werewolf.

Being considerate, Levi closed the door after himself. The burly man would really appreciate that when he woke up and noticed he got robbed.

Making his way towards east, Levi tried to put as much distance between them and the cottage. He knew Eren was following him, without a doubt the wolf was doing so but what Levi did not expect was that suddenly after two minutes of walking he was wrenched around by his arm.

Levi found himself in Eren's arms who was once again in his human form. Levi was about to ask what it was that Eren was doing when the werewolf kissed him. "Mhph-!" Levi's words died on his lips as they were devoured by the young wolf.

When Eren was done, he pressed his forehead to Levi's and said, "You didn't kill him."

Levi had been taken by surprise. He had not focused on Eren's feelings at all. Maybe if he had he might have known Eren would do something like this. "I said I wouldn't," Levi told him softly. He could understand that Eren was suspicious of him.

"I just.. I am so glad you didn't." Eren hesitated with his words. He felt relieved that Levi had not killed the innocent man. When he had seen Levi swing his fist at the man, Eren had been sure that the man would end up dead. He was regretting that he had not believed Levi when the vampire had promised him that he would not kill anyone. "I'm sorry."

Levi picked upon the feelings of the werewolf when he was still being held in his embrace. "You don't have to be. It is natural you would assume differently." Levi was not going to defend himself to Eren. Eren had nothing to be sorry about. "As much as I love hugs from naked men, we need to get going," Levi said. "We have about twenty kilometres to travel in five hours before the sun shows its nasty face again. We should be able to reach a small town by then." Levi dearly hoped their money would be enough to buy a room for the day.

Despite Levi's words, Eren kissed him again. This time his kiss was tender and left Levi feeling uncomfortable. Eren was showing his appreciation through the kiss and Levi was not sure how to respond to it. He wasn't especially good in relationships and now he had been thrown into one that he was supposed to manage keep together as long as he lived. Besides he had noticed Eren's mood swinging from one end to the other.

What would happen if he made the werewolf truly mad at him?

Would he be able to fix it?

They certainly would not be able to live separately, not for a while at least. So Levi kissed Eren back, slipping his hand behind Eren's head. Their kiss grew intense and it was Eren who pulled back first.

Levi smirked, touching Eren's cheek in what could almost be called a loving way. He had made the young wolf retreat from something he had initiated. "We'll continue this later," Levi told him, letting his eyes tell a story as they swept over Eren's lips before looking into the green orbs.

"You promise?" Eren asked, suddenly interested in what Levi's words promised.

"Yes, I promise."

Eren let him go, pulling back and transforming without saying anything else.

The next four hours they walked, occasionally picking up the pace when the terrain permitted. Levi was surprised that Eren could stay quiet for so long. He had expected him to turn into human once in a while to talk and pester him but no, the werewolf kept sniffing and scouting ahead of him and guiding him to the easiest way to cross swampy areas and such. Eren was actually useful to have around.

Levi noticed that Eren had suddenly stopped, standing still a few ten metres ahead of him. Levi made it to where Eren was and he didn't bother to ask what it was. He listened and looked around to see what could have made the werewolf stop.

Eren looked at him and then back towards the direction that he had been staring. Levi narrowed his eyes and then he saw it, there was a house in the distance, peeking through the trees.

"That probably is at the outskirts of the town," Levi said quietly. "You better put the clothes on." Levi gestured to the clothes still in hanging over his arm. He watched as Eren returned to his human form and gave him the pants first. They were too big for Eren but Levi ignored it, giving the ugly sweater next. Last thing was the hat.

"You'll look ridiculous in these," Levi retorted but helped Eren to fix the hat to cover his ears.

"These pants are not going to stay on me." Eren had to keep the pants on with his hands or they would drop if he took even one step.

Levi undid the cravat around his neck and stepped in front of Eren. "Lift the sweater," he told the confused young wolf.

Eren did as he was told, wondering what this plan was. Levi looped the cravat through the first few loops on the pants and then he pulled, making the pants tighter. "This should help somewhat," Levi told him, tying the fabric into a good enough knot to last a while.

Levi stepped back, taking a good look at the attire of Eren's. "You looked much better naked, I have to admit that." Eren looked more than hilarious, utterly ridiculous. The furry hat covering his ears was perched weirdly, his pants were too big and hang around his hips in a tight bundle now and the sweater, that luckily covered the make shift belt, was just ugly as hell, a chaotic mix-mash of colors, none of them looking good together. It looked as if a color-blind person had made it and no one had dared to tell them the truth of how ugly it looked to everyone else. Probably a Christmas gift from the mother of that burly man.

Eren shrugged, getting used to wearing clothes again. "I'm going to get out of these as soon as possible."

"That's the plan, kid," Levi teased his mate, knowing what the young wolf think. "But let's see if we can find an inn or something to spend the day at first, okay? Bath wouldn't seem bad idea either," he said the last thing under his breath, knowing fully well just how dirty he was but not wanting to think about it.

Trying to appear as casual as possible they made their way to the house they saw. Levi spotted a road leading away from it and they subtly evaded the inhabitants of the house by skipping their way to the road which seemed to indeed lead to a town. They could see more buildings and lights in some of the windows. Some people probably had not slept yet and some had just woken up. They had an hour or so before it would get risky for Levi to be outside.

They reached the town center in twenty minutes or so. Levi was more than happy to see an inn, hoping that someone was awake at five am. He thanked the god when the front door was open. There was a woman sitting behind desk, sipping on her morning coffee or tea while reading a newspaper.

"Good morning," Levi greeted and the woman was all smiles.

"Good morning lads! First time in Godensham?"

"Yes, we are planning on doing some hunting in this area," Levi said, not entirely lying since they had hunted something for Eren after all.

"Hunting you say, eh?" The woman seemed friendly enough continuing their little chit chat.

"Yes, we still need to buy some supplies. A whole day full ahead of us so we are not in a hurry." Levi did not even know what he was saying to the woman but who cared as long as they got a room to stay in. "How much for a room for the day? We need to store our stuff somewhere and get some sleep before the evening."

"Just for the day?"

"We plan on staying the night in the woods. All the good game is awake then." Levi wanted to roll his eyes. Of all the idiotic things to say he had to say such things but the woman didn't seem to notice.

"Sounds secretive," she smiled at them as if she was supposed to keep a secret. "Twenty for single bed room. That's all I have available at the moment, sorry. Do you require anything else?"

"It's alright." Levi was about to say no to anything else but then he remembered the state of their hygiene. "Is there a bath available in the inn?"

"I could warm up one for you."

"That would be much appreciated," gratefulness came across his tone as he spoke. He was truly feeling so. He could not wait to wash off the grime clinging to his skin. Levi dug for the twenty bucks that the woman wanted for the room. "What time do we need to give the keys back?"

The woman had already turned to fish out the keys from a small cabinet behind her. "When you leave in the evening is fine."

Levi offered her a smile. "Alright. Thank you."

"The room is the number six, down the hall and up the stairs. I'll come by to tell you when the bath is ready," she said, giving them the keys to the room.

Levi nodded grateful. He was about to walk away when a thought occurred to him. "Is there anywhere we could get food at this hour?"

"The market opens soon. There should be people there already setting up their displays. You can try there if you want. I will have breakfast ready at nine."

"Thank you," Levi said one more time before he lead Eren through the corridor and up the stairs. "What do you say we get you something to eat from the market? Something else than raw meat." He was sure they were out of the woman's earshot.

"Are you not hungry?" Eren asked, speaking for the first time since they entered the inn.

"No, I can go on for a few weeks without eating if I have to." Levi inserted the key to the door that had the number six on it and turned, unlocking the door with ease. The room was clean enough, some dust lingered on the surfaces but it was much better than what Levi had endured for the past five months.

Eren didn't quite understand why Levi wanted to point out how long he could go without eating. "But you don't have to." If the vampire needed to eat then he should just say so.

Levi wandered further into the room and looked at Eren, licking his lips. "I know." He knew just how good Eren's blood tasted but he'd rather not feed from him whenever he pleased. Eren was his mate and he wanted to show him some respect. But it seemed Eren had different ideas.

"You can take my blood whenever you feel like it," the young wolf said, rubbing the back of his neck as he closed the door behind them. Eren felt a bit awkward offering his blood to the vampire now that it was not a necessity to happen as often as possible. Despite Levi's words about surviving for weeks without feeding he felt uncomfortable if Levi did not eat regularly. Who knew if they ran into trouble and got separated? Eren didn't see any reason to take a risk.

"Just because you have a kink for it doesn't mean I am going to do it."

"I didn't mean it like that!" Eren hushed out, a blush appearing on his cheeks. "I don't have a kink!" he defended himself embarrassed that Levi would think something like that about him. What could he do about it that it felt good to be bitten by Levi? Was he supposed to feel ashamed about it?

Levi couldn't understand what was Eren's deal. One moment the werewolf was suggesting that they fuck in the woods and then next he is blushing over some blood sucking. Although the said act did make Eren feel flustered as Levi knew it did. It would probably take years for him to figure out how the mind of Eren's worked.

"What I meant is that I could never deny you the right to feed. That was the whole purpose of the bond wasn't it?"

What was Eren worried about, really? "Leave the blood sucking to me and stop worrying if I am eating enough or not." Levi made a guess what Eren could be so antsy about. Levi had assumed that this would be the last thing Eren would make an issue of.

"You could do the same, you know, stop worrying over my diet." The last time someone had been suggesting he had not eaten enough was the last time he saw his mother. Although Eren was feeling a bit weak. There was something wrong with him but this was like any other sickness he had ever encountered.

"Eren, for what I've seen you were sick in the woods and you ate only two little rabbits. Of course I am a little concerned if you are eating enough. The amount of food they gave you was not sufficient, even I can see that. You mortals eat so much more, you need so much more."

One word in particular caught Eren's attention in what Levi said. "Are you saying you are immortal?" What Eren had heard about vampires they were believed to be immortal but Armin had doubted it and made Eren doubt also. Maybe he would now hear the truth.

Levi wanted to sigh because of Eren's short attention span on the topic they had been on. "What I am saying is that you need to pay more attention to yourself. Because of the bond we share you will live a lot longer than anyone in your pack." Levi remembered that Eren had told him how old his father was and he could only guess how long a werewolf lived but he was sure Eren would outlive them still.

Levi's words made Eren widen his eyes. Eren had not thought that the bond would have such an impact on his life. "What? How long are we talking about?"

Levi shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?" He thought of the few humans that had been bound to vampires before and gave an estimate. "Some humans have lived for about five hundred years."

Fire hundred? Eren didn't even know what he would do for five hundred years. Most werewolves died around two hundred if they managed to survive that long. That was if they led a peaceful life in the older days. Many werewolves still lost their lives either in disputes between packs or being hunted by humans. Fear was a strong motivator for humans to hunt wolves believing they were all werewolves in disguised. "And how long do vampires live?"

Levi had to think about it for a while. "The oldest one I have heard of was two thousand and eight hundred years old." Levi humored his young mate by telling him what he knew. "The thing is that even vampires grow bored of life."

Eren paused to think what Levi actually meant with his words. "So you are saying that they eventually kill themselves?"

"Yes. Once their mate is gone, life becomes pointless and eventually there is no point to go on."

"But that's insane!" How could someone just end their own life?

"It is just as insane to live forever, isn't it? It takes a lot of mental strength to reach such age as thousand, Eren." Levi was still young compared to some people he knew but to Eren he was old. Everything is relative.

"But what about their families? Surely they miss them?" Surely a vampire who lived for thousands of years had children? Surely they even had grandchildren?

Levi stood silent, his lips pressed tightly together. He had had parents once just like any other being on earth. He thought that if he had not mated Eren, he might have ended up being alone for the eternity unless he was forced to pick a mate. But he had only few hundred years with Eren. They would not leave any children behind, would they? "But what if there is no one left?"

Eren fell quiet. He had not yet heard Levi sound so sad, his voice full of hidden sorrow. Eren was afraid to ask if there was anyone out there waiting for Levi. Eren didn't quite understand why Levi was so devastated by the idea of living forever. "But now you have me," Eren said, trying to lighten the sullen mood that had descended around them. Surely this would get rid of the sadness that practically emitted from the vampire.

Levi almost said what was on the tip of his tongue, I have you only for a fraction in time that I could spend on this earth. But he did not and ended up vaguely agreeing, "Indeed."

Eren was left with a weird sensation that Levi was not saying what he truly felt. He could only hope that one day he wouldn't have to guess what was on Levi's mind.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

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><p>They made their way to the bathroom when the friendly innkeeper woman came to tell them the bath was ready.<p>

"I left some towels for you on the stool," the innkeeper said with a smile.

"Thank you," Levi said politely to her in the passing.

Eren was pushed into the steamy bathroom by Levi who locked the door after them. The first thing that came off was Eren's ridiculous hat. "You look like a damn hill billy with this damn hat on." Levi threw it on the ground happily. "We need to get you something better."

"I had a bandanna before I was captured," Eren commented as he went straight into stripping. That hot water in the bathtub looked more than inviting.

As if reading his thoughts Levi spoke out, "Don't go in just yet. Let's rinse out the dirt first without spoiling all that clean water." Levi shed his clothes as well and took a sponge that sat at the edge of the bathtub. He dipped the sponge into the hot water and then rubbed a piece of soap and the sponge together. "I'll wash your back if you wash mine?" he suggested offering the sponge to Eren.

"Sure," the young man said a bit distracted by the naked partner of his.

"Eyes up here, Eren," Levi pushed Eren's chin up with a finger, forcing Eren to meet his eye.

Eren blushed lightly and cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"You seriously need to clean your mind as well it seems." Levi rubbed the soap on his arms and chest as he turned his back to Eren.

That might have been a slight mistake on his part as Eren pressed himself against his back a moment later. "Eren," he managed to say before his breath caught in his throat as Eren ran a hand over the bite mark on Levi's shoulder. Everything Eren was feeling at that moment washed over him like a tidal wave, leaving him breathless. He surely had been right about that mind cleaning part.

Eren was shivering, his breath washing over the side of Levi's face. He could not think of anything else than Levi and how good he felt in his arms right now as he wrapped his arms around his mate. The sponge dropped to the floor, forgotten.

"Eren!" Levi hissed when the young wolf hugged him tightly. "This is not the time."

"I think it's the perfect time," Eren whispered, running his hands over Levi's abdomen.

"No," Levi said, trying to gently pry Eren's hands off himself. "Either you calm down right now or you wait outside." He hoped his words would make Eren see reason and that the werewolf wasn't too lost in his lust. "Eren," Levi said with a warning laced into his tone.

"But I want you," Eren sounded defeated which made Levi pause.

Levi sighed as Eren's arousal affected him too. "Don't think I don't know that." Levi's skin was on goosebumps. "Eren," he tried with a softer tone. "We'll continue this once we are back in our room but now let's clean up."

Eren was silent for several minutes after he finally let Levi go. He washed Levi's back deep in thought, trying to contain his excitement. He didn't want Levi to get angry at him. He had noticed a slight amount of annoyance coming from the vampire. Eren hoped he had not crossed the line with his behavior.

Levi still couldn't understand how or why the werewolf could be so horny. He certainly had not given the werewolf any of such ideas but Eren had suggested and come on to him several times in a mere day. Something wasn't right with the young wolf. Levi wanted to ask if werewolves were always this horny creatures just to know if he had to be living like this for centuries. There was nothing wrong with sexual desire but everything had a limit.

Putting such thoughts aside Levi continued washing himself. The foam and water on his skin turned ugly brown and he hissed with disgust. While Eren washed his back with slow movements, obviously avoiding his buttocks, Levi raised a leg to the edge of the tub and spread soap on it as well. "Fucking disgusting," he muttered as the soap did its job.

There was a small ladle at the edge of the tub which Levi picked up to wash himself off. Once he was done rinsing most of the dirt of his skin, he gave Eren all his attention, snatching the sponge from the werewolf's hands.

Eren looked guilty just like a dog would when they have done something wrong.

"Oh Eren," the vampire said with a sigh. "No need to look so depressed." He didn't dare to do anything to Eren that might tempt the werewolf although he thought of slapping his bare ass. Had they been alone at his home then he would have given into Eren's lusty ways. "I have nothing against your advances but everything has a time and place, Eren."

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Eren said quietly, pondering his own condition. "I have never felt like this before."

Levi thought that the answer to that was rather obvious since Eren had not been mated before and from what Levi had gathered, physicality was one thing that Eren seemed to require. "I'll make a wild guess and say that this possibly has something to do with the mating?"

"But it doesn't make sense." Eren rubbed his forehead as he tried to make sense out of this. What he had heard about mating this was not supposed to happen. Not to him at least.

"Why not?" Levi was intrigued. Eren seemed absentminded so Levi took the initiative and rubbed the soap on the werewolf's skin before running the sponge over it.

"Because..." Eren trailed off. "I shouldn't have a heat." His craving for sex made no sense to him. It should have ended after the first time. There should not have been a second time. These sensations he was having started to point out towards a heat more than anything. Maybe it had something to do with him being with Levi?

"And what makes you think you are having one?" Maybe now Levi would get that answer to why Eren was so horny. He probed Eren's shoulder to make him turn around so he could wash his back.

Eren turned around with a sigh. "I don't know how to explain this in any other way. I don't even like you."

Levi had to laugh. The way Eren said with such a confusion evident in his voice made it funny. Although he could agree with Eren somewhat. It wasn't exactly love or even mutual interest that had brought them together.

He finished washing Eren's upper torso. Eren luckily had not been in the cell for as long as he had so his skin was much cleaner than his.

"Okay maybe a bit. You did save my life." Eren could never tell him with words how grateful he was for it. Eren had felt true terror when Levi had told him he had been in that cell for five months. He had been sure that he would share Levi's fate. Eren felt a bang on sadness as he thought back how tired Levi had looked when he had seen him the first time.

"You saved mine first, you know." Levi didn't know why there was sadness emitting from Eren but he did not ask about it. The memory of being held captive was not really a happy one for either of them. "Get in the tub," Levi told him.

Eren hummed not really knowing how to carry on the conversation from there. He knew that if he tried to be modest then Levi would shut him up and he would not get anywhere with his reasoning.

"Just don't jizz in the tub," Levi said and Eren almost slipped as he stepped into the tub.

"Jeez!" Eren hissed as he sat down in the warm water. It felt good. But what also was good, was his mate climbing into the tub as his company. "It's too small for both of us," Eren tried to say as skin on skin contact was about to become inevitable.

"We'll manage," Levi reassured him as he maneuvered into the tub to sit face to face with Eren. "Spread your legs," the vampire said.

Eren had to gulp. "This is not a good idea," he said warning Levi with a high pitched tone.

"Relax." Levi settled between Eren's legs, raising his own over them to either side of Eren's. "This way we'll fit into here better and you won't have to worry about too much touching."

"I still think this is a bad idea."

"I gave you the choice to wait outside. Maybe you should have taken it?" Levi suggested with all knowing tone.

Eren cursed under his breath about overconfident, teasing vampires. He closed his eyes, leaning his head back. "You are not a nice person."

"You are hurting my feelings, Eren."

"No, I'm not." Eren didn't get sort of hurt feelings coming from Levi. The vampire was lying to him, making fun of him.

Levi really wanted to tease the poor werewolf but as he had said, they needed to wash themselves first. Levi had the soap in his hands and he still needed to wash his hair. Who knew what kind of creepy crawlies were living among his hair. Not exactly the level of attractiveness that he desired to have. Because let's face it, he had someone now and the least he could do was to look good for his mate. What kind of mate would he be if he did not take care of his own hygiene? Or Eren's for that matter.

"Come here," Levi urged the young wolf. "Your hair still needs to be washed."

Eren slowly opened his eyes, peering back at the vampire holding the soap. "I can do that myself."

"Good. I wouldn't know how to wash your ears anyway." Levi gave the bar of soap to the werewolf and leaned back himself, giving Eren some space.

Eren kept his eyes closed as he washed his hair. He did not want to see what was right in front of him. He would surely lose control if he had to look at Levi's naked form any more than what was necessary. Soon he wouldn't need to hold back. Soon, just a little while longer. Those were the mantras he kept chanting to himself inside his head.

Levi took the ladle while Eren scrubbed his scalp and ears like a madman. "Are you ready?" he asked as he scooped the ladle full of water. Eren nodded and Levi poured the water over his head. He repeated the process until Eren's hair was clean of soapy water.

Eren ran his hands through his hair. He was taking deep breaths, scared to open his eyes.

"If you are done, you can leave," Levi spoke softly, knowing that Eren was at his limit. He didn't even need to sense it, it was plain to see that the young wolf was struggling. Levi guessed it was right what they said about succumbing to your instincts. Besides he was sure that something similar would occur today that had happened in the cell between them.

As Eren had said, it was probable that he was in heat but the reason was unknown. One could say that if they were lucky, Eren would go back to acting normal after today. Levi needed him to go back to normal before they set forward on their quest. He couldn't have the werewolf humping his leg all the way through the country.

"Eren," Levi said, touching Eren's knee lightly. "Go to our room. I'll be there shortly." He lifted his legs away from Eren and sat up to let Eren out.

Eren had to agree. He would have loved to soak in the warm water for longer but he did not know how long he could take this idle sitting next to his mate in this condition. He scrambled out of the tub, snatching a towel from the stool and quickly wrapped it around his waist.

"Don't forget to cover your ears," Levi advised as he saw the haste the werewolf was leaving with. Eren grabbed his dirty shirt and bundled it upon his head before exiting the bathroom. He rushed to their room as fast as possible without seeming too suspicious.

As soon as he entered the room, Eren threw the dirty shirt on the ground. He wrenched the towel off his waist as well, striding his way to the bed. He was so frustrated that he did not even know which way to get on it. He wanted to tear his hair off and claw his skin to make himself think of something else than sex for one minute. He paced next to the bed as he ran his hands through his hair but did not give into the urge of tearing it.

Levi had told him that he'd be there in a moment. Levi would be here soon. Then all of this would go away. "Shit," Eren cursed out loud as his mind dove into fantasies of what he'd want Levi to do to him.

He crawled on the bed and sat on his legs, spreading them apart as he touched himself. His fingers found a way to his ass, which he found unusually wet. He paid no mind to it as the urge to sink his fingers was greater than any kind of question that he should have been asking about his bodily functions at that point. His other hand wrapped around his cock, and only thing better at that point would have been if Levi had been there, doing these things to him. A very small voice inside his head told him that he should be ashamed of himself for doing this. A voice which he did not listen to.

That was what Levi walked in onto. Levi had been about to say something about the innkeeper and how she had been ogling him as he had asked for the bowl of water that he was now carrying in his hands. He had fed her a crap explanation that they would need it for cleaning their hunting equipment. But any words about these things were not important at all when he watched the werewolf perched on the bed, pleasuring himself.

Levi laid the bowl down on the floor. He dropped the rest of their clothes somewhere else, not really paying that much attention to exactly where. He might have said a thing or two about Eren leaving his clothes behind but he didn't. He quickly shed himself of the shirt he had been forced to wear to hide the shackles around his wrists from the innkeeper.

Eren whined, reaching out as soon as Levi was close enough, and pushed himself flush against the shirtless vampire. His hand snaked behind Levi's neck, forcing him into a kiss. While being as if the devil himself, he ran his hand over the bite mark on Levi's shoulder, knowing that the vampire would not resist this time.

Levi did not resist as Eren wished and did the exact same thing to the young wolf. The feeling of pleasure was overwhelming when his own hand mirrored Eren's action over Eren's bite mark.

Levi was happy that he did not have to be scared of breaking Eren. The young wolf seemed not to be one for gentle caresses when it came to fulfilling his sexual desires. Although Levi would have wanted to take his time, tease the wolf into fulfillment but Eren clearly had no time for such things. Not if the way the werewolf kept, groping him, running his hands all over his body as if he wished to devour the vampire whole, was any indication.

"You promised," Eren whispered against Levi's pale skin, as he licked his collar bone, losing his mind slowly but surely.

"Yes, I did and I will keep my promise, Eren." How could he say no to this creature in his arms? He had never felt like this with anyone and he fully knew that it was because of the bond. Had he realized this earlier he might have taken the mate finding business a bit more seriously. But then again, how many vampires went through a heat like Eren did? He doubted that he'd ever experienced anything like this with another vampire. The bite marks were the major reason why anything of these feelings going through him were even there in the first place.

The blood magic bound them together but the bite marks gave concrete substance to their bond. The bond was like water which had been flavored by the physical mating and now they could not separate the two.

Eren unwrapped the towel around Levi's waist, throwing it somewhere behind Levi.

"Did you prepare yourself for me?" Levi asked, his voice dropping low.

"Yes," Eren almost purred out of satisfaction to hear something such as that been asked. Eren dragged Levi down with him, laying on the bed without hesitation nor fear towards Levi. Goosebumps appeared on Levi's forearms as he looked down at the young man who was welcoming him in all ways possible.

Eren pulled him down, licking his face and neck with long sweeps. Biting on to Levi's earlobe, the young werewolf wrapped his legs around Levi's waist.

Eren was clearly taking advantage of Levi's self healing abilities with this things. "I never would have thought you'd be some to enjoy biting others," Levi remarked, teasing his young partner verbally.

"Why haven't you bitten me yet?" Eren's breath washed over his ear, making it feel hot for a brief moment. Eren longed to feel those the fang pierce his skin. The pleasure it brought was easy to fall into and make him forget everything else. It would make it easy to justify his actions later on.

"Patience is a virtue," Levi said back to him.

"But I know you want it. Don't think I haven't felt your hunger for my blood." Eren had seen the way Levi sometimes gazed at him when the vampire thought he wouldn't see. Levi's eyes had looked at his neck more than once since they escaped and Eren was sure that Levi had partially at least bitten him in the forest just because of the urge to do so rather than to calm him.

The little shit knew about that? Levi thought he had been hiding his innermost urges better than that. Levi decided not to answer the young wolf. Levi pushed Eren's legs away. "I want to take my time with you. We were in such a hurry last time." They had nothing but time since the sun had come up. Levi had put his coat on the window to block out as much light as possible. The dim lighting of the room made Eren look something that should not be devoured in one bite but to be cherished over time, slowly.

Eren whined, not wanting to hear anything like that. "No," the werewolf cried as his legs were held apart by the vampire. "Take me and save your games for later," Eren said despite not having any plans on doing anything like this with Levi later on. Eren was uncomfortable with the idea that he would have to beg. He just wanted to be fucked, plain and simple. He didn't want any extra attention, this wasn't about that, such things were meant for lovers after all.

"Don't be a spoilsport, Eren," Levi complained in return. It had been a while since he had had such a lively lover. If he was honest then he had to admit that no one had ever been as fearless than Eren with him. Eren didn't seem to be phased that much by how Levi was physically restraining him from reaching the one goal the werewolf had. The young wolf only cried out, frustrated out of his mind. Levi had expected Eren to get physical, maybe even force himself on him. Yet, the werewolf was acting way more submissive than Levi thought he would. What a contradictory being Eren was.

"Alright," Levi consented to Eren's plea as he did not want to cause the young wolf any more discomfort than he already was. He could practically see the way Eren relaxed after the word of agreement left Levi's mouth.

Levi smirked when he saw Eren touching his own bite mark and Levi's tingled in response. The little devil was trying to be coy. The feather like touches of Eren's fingers were translated to his skin or that was what it felt like. "If you want it that much, maybe you should get me hard, wolf boy," Levi teased his mate. He wanted to see what the young wolf would do.

Placing his hand on Levi's shoulder, Eren reached for his cock. Levi complied by leaning on his elbow over Eren to make his job easier.

Fortunately for Eren this gave him the perfect access to the mark on Levi's shoulder. Eren wrapped his arm around Levi's neck. His mouth found the mark and his tongue swept over it.

"You little tease," Levi said, having a feeling that these things that Eren did to him via using the mark were instinctual for him. Eren didn't need to think about if it felt good or not, he knew it would.

Eren pumped his hand, kissing and licking the mark he had left on Levi's skin mere days ago. He was urged on by the soft groans escaping from his mate. Levi's hips were unconsciously starting to move to the rhythm that Eren set.

It all came to an halt when Eren's hand left Levi's cock alone. Eren had filled his end of the bargain. Eren let go, relaxing on the bed as he waited for Levi to do as he had promised.

With a pleased sigh, Levi straightened up. He raised Eren's hips and found that Eren was once again wet enough. He really had to ask about that for future reference when they were not in such a compromising position.

As Levi pushed into Eren, he could not keep his eyes from widening slightly. Once fully sheathed inside he stopped and said, "It didn't feel like this last time." Levi could not describe the feeling he was having. He felt dizzy but not exactly. He didn't know who was who. He could see Eren right there in front of him but yet it felt like he was everywhere at once. The feeling was amazing. He was pretty sure this was not how being inside someone had ever felt either.

"No, it didn't," Eren agreed as his whole body vibrated with anticipation and need. The onslaught of emotions and sensations was overwhelming. He couldn't wait any longer. "Fuck me," Eren demanded as he laid there at Levi's mercy.

Levi set a slow pace at first as he tried to get used to the weird feeling. He sought out to fully understand what this was and why he was feeling as if he had just found heaven. He did not want this to end and thus he had to deny Eren's apparent wish of a quick fuck. Eren was reaching out to him and Levi almost crushed him against the bed as he grabbed hold of Eren's legs.

Eren's nails dug into his back as Levi thrust into him. Any scratches were instantly healed but the Levi still felt the brief sting of pain. At this point it felt welcoming and nothing compared to things he had been through in the past half a year.

Eren struggled to keep himself in check so that he wouldn't let out any loud noises. It was only after six in the morning and all the other people in the inn were either asleep or about to wake up. Not that his cries would add much to the other noises they made already with the bed being a creaky thing.

"Let them hear," Levi whispered to Eren who seemed reluctant to let his voice out. So Eren did, not keeping back his noises that awaited to spill from his throat. But he was not alone, no. The room was filled with noises which they did not know who let out and it did not matter one bit as they lost themselves in each other.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>That was the last smut scene I write for this fic, seriously. Okay maybe one more but that will take a while to happen. Either way, this had a point.


	11. Chapter 11

_**AN: **This took a while, sorry about that :P _  
><em>But here we go once again!<em>

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 11<strong>_

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><p>Levi listened to the soft beat of Eren's heart. The rate of it had slowed down considerably. Somehow Levi had managed to control himself and not sink his teeth into that delicious neck of Eren's. He was glad he wasn't hungry enough yet. Although he didn't think that hunger had little to do with the desire to just taste the liquid on his tongue. He felt like a young vampire again because of Eren. The werewolf made him feel rebellious in some ways. He wanted to play with him in the same way he had been playing with lovers when he was younger.<p>

Levi didn't need to be afraid that Eren would leave him when he already knew that Levi was a vampire. Levi's biting tendencies had brought trouble in the past which was why he had given up on finding anyone who would understand him. He had never found another vampire who would have not started to talk about mating with him and thus he had turned to playing with poor humans. Those said humans had not liked it when he turned out to be a monster.

His uncle had not liked that at all, neither humans nor his adventures with other young vampires. Not that he had had that many of those said adventures. His uncle had made a big issue out of it, saying he needed to act more composed if he ever wanted to find a mate worthy of his time.

Composed he had become when the fun had been taken out of the activities that he had undertaken. Even he saw it now that he had been reckless but he had been young. Maybe too young to understand that something might have gone wrong, something bad might have happened. It was ironic that when he had ventured out to drink from some young unsuspecting victim of his, he had gotten captured. He should have been more discreet but just for one night he had made too many risky choices and they had cost him his freedom.

Now that he laid there on the bed next to Eren, whose ears kept tickling his cheek whenever Eren flicked them, he realized that maybe it was not such a bad thing after all. He had a mate now, one that he somehow could see his uncle approving of even though Eren was of different species. The council would not understand, that was for sure, but that did not matter to Levi. Not unless they intended to harm Eren because Eren was everything he had ever wanted by his side.

If Levi saw himself as a monster, then Eren was a beast.

Levi certainly would not forget the fierce eyes of the wolf, looking straight at him, chilling him to the core.

"Levi?"

Eren's soft voice broke Levi away from his thoughts. The tone of the young wolf's sounded so out of place when compared to the memories he had just been recalling. "Yes?"

"What is out plan from here on?"

"We'll take a train to the south as far as we can get." Train seemed a good option because in the case of emergency they could get off it anywhere.

"I don't think we have enough money?" Eren asked worry coloring his voice.

"I'll fix that in the evening." Levi had a few ideas what to do.

"What do you mean?" Eren was terrified what Levi meant with his words. What would the vampire do? Would he kill people again? Eren didn't want him to do that for any reason.

"That I'll get us some money. Don't worry about it."

Levi's answer didn't comfort him at all. "Just don't-"

Levi interrupted Eren before the young man said what he was sure he'd say, "I won't kill anyone."

They fell into silence after that. Eren seemed to accept his promise.

Since Eren's heart beat and whole presence seemed rather relaxed Levi asked, "Are you back to normal?"

"Yeah," Eren answered, suddenly feeling self-conscious how he was glued to Levi's side, his arm over Levi's torso. But there was no room to wiggle away from him and if he was truthful to himself he didn't want to move an inch. It was an odd feeling but he went with it.

"So does mean there is no chance for a round two?" Levi asked half-joking.

Eren didn't feel any need for doing such a thing again. "I don't want to," he told Levi truthfully. It felt awkward to even think about it. He had no problem with the being close to Levi but he didn't want the intimacy that sex with him would provide. Eren felt vulnerable now that he was not in heat or whatever it was that had plagued him to mate with the vampire in the first place.

"No more lusty thoughts?" Levi asked if reading Eren's thoughts.

"Nope." Eren hoped that vampire would not push the subject any further.

"Shame. I would have liked to tease you a bit for being in such a hurry all the time," Levi teased, turning his head to lick the tip of Eren's ears.

Eren blushed, yelping while snatching his ear in his hand and pending it away from the vampire's mouth.

"How is it that you are blushing after we fucked like animals?" Levi asked, wondering about the reactions of the werewolf in general.

Eren blushed even harder. "I don't know!" the young wolf argued. "I was hardly in control of what I did." How should he explain it to someone who didn't experience such a loss of control?

Levi pondered what Eren said and he had noticed that the werewolf did seem ferocious when he was in need. There was a definite change in him. "Is that so.." Levi said lost in his thoughts.

"Yeah," Eren answered even if he didn't really need to.

Levi hummed as an affirmation that he heard him. "Either way," the vampire said. "Time to get cleaned up. I'll give you some money when you are done." Levi gently slipped away from Eren and made his way to the bowl of water he had brought with him to the room before Eren had distracted his thoughts and actions.

"Money? What for?" Eren asked confused as to where this was going.

"Since you can walk around during the day I think you could go and buy yourself a new shirt of coat or something. That cardigan is distasteful. You might find yourself a better hat as well. The innkeeper mentioned something about a market," Levi explained as he brought the bowl closer to the bed. He dowsed a towel in the water and offered it to Eren. "Clean yourself. You don't want to dirty your pants, do you?"

Eren spluttered but did as asked as Levi dressed up back into his own pants. Levi gave him the thirty or so bills they had.

"Is this all we have?" Eren asked eyeing the money worried that if he could spend it all.

"For the moment yes but as I said I'll fix that later. Now it is more important to make you look less suspicious. We don't want to gather too much attention to ourselves."

Eren nodded understanding what Levi meant. Levi came to him with his shirt in his hands.

"Use this to cover your ears instead of that ridiculous hat."

Eren smiled as he thought how silly he must have looked in that hat. Levi helped him wrap the shirt around his head and tie it properly. Levi would be left shirtless but Eren thought that was not a bad thing at all.

After Eren had dressed himself for this little shopping trip of his, he left to room and greeted the innkeeper at the entrance hall.

"There was an complaint about you two," the woman said her eyes narrowed.

"Oh," Eren blushed as he realized how loud they had been. Not to mention the time of the day too. It had been about six in the morning and apparently some people did not like to wake up to sounds of sex. "I'm sorry," Eren apologized quickly ducking out of the door.

The fresh air felt nice and the first rays of sunlight were appearing on the horizon. There were a few people mingling about, going to work or who knows where. Eren made his way leisurely towards what he suspected to be the center or the market area. He had no hurry since they couldn't leave until the sun had set. Luckily up in the north the sun would set fairly early.

Eren reached the marketplace and found a few people selling old clothes for cheap. He made a few good deals for a brown leather jacket that he really liked. He also bought two new shirts which were clean but had some rips and permanent stains, they were practically free. He also found a piece of cloth to work as a makeshift bandanna. At least Levi could have his shirt back. He almost forgot to buy a belt which took half of what he had left at that point.

He was left with five bucks and decided to save it instead of buying anything else. He was worried what Levi had meant that he would fix their money situation in the evening. He really didn't want to think about the possibilities but he had no choice but to trust Levi when the vampire said that he would not kill anyone.

Eren didn't still know where he stood with his mate. Levi was different from what he appeared to be. Eren had expected a cold attitude and personality but the vampire had a playful streak to him. Not too apparent but it was there. On the other hand when things got serious, so did Levi. Eren was glad to see though that the vampire didn't take things too seriously. That would have been a pain to live with.

Eren smiled to himself as he made his way back to the inn. He was happy that Levi didn't seem to have a problem with him being something not completely human. While Levi could pretend to be one for as long as possible, Eren would have to eventually reveal his ears and heaven forbid for full moon making him transform! Eren knew he would not survive in the human world for long. He was happy to live with his pack, safe from the dangerous intent of humanity.

So far the nearby villagers had left his pack alone. Eren suspected that no one was brave enough to go into the dark woods and check if the rumors of werewolf pack living nearby was true.

Sometimes there were people who did that but they turned back before they had a chance to find anything. Eren's father also had devised a plan if someone ever came too close. In the woods grew a berry that was poisonous, making whoever consumed them hallucinate heavily.

More than once had his father staged a poisoning like this and they would take the poisoned person back close to the village. People would think the traveler had eaten the berries on accident. The humans would never be none of the wiser.

But now Eren was not on his way home. Not yet but later. He was worried what waited for him in Levi's home. What would it be like? He was kind of keen to know because he had only heard of vampires living in grand estates as part of their legend. Eren wanted to see if there would be something worth telling Armin about.

Eren made haste through the front door of the inn, keeping his eyes fixated on the floor as he passed the innkeeper.

He let out a sigh of relief when he was back in their room.

"Everything okay?" Levi asked, looking Eren from head to toe. He was relaxing against the headboard of the bed.

"Yes, the damn innkeeper told me that someone complained about the noise." Eren mumbled as he walked to the bed and put down the clothes he had bought.

Levi smirked at him and Eren looked away, organizing the clothes. "I hope this fits you," he threw one of the shirts he had bought at Levi.

"It has dirty spots," the vampire injected.

"It's clean. Better than what you had."

"Definitely," Levi agreed after a while, sizing the new garment up. He pulled it on and seemed pleased with it, buttoning up the buttons.

"You can have your cravat back by the way. I bought a belt," Eren said as he untied the piece of cloth that kept his pants up.

Eren had not bothered to buy underwear as he had lost his during the transformation at full moon. Besides they were only going to get shredded if he needed to do a quick transformation again. He apologized to Levi for not even thinking about if the vampire wanted any underwear.

"I'm sure I can survive," the black-haired vampire said as he tied his cravat back into its proper place around his neck.

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><p>When the sun had set and darkness started to decent upon the town Levi had come up with a few plans on how to get enough money for the train fare. First he'd need to check when the next train would be leaving. He had forgotten to ask Eren to do it.<p>

"Wait here. I'll be back soon."

Levi crept near to the front desk of the inn. He didn't show himself to the innkeeper who was sitting, reading a newspaper at the desk. He would have to take her out as silently as possible.

He eyed the door that was behind her. He guessed that was the room that she spend her nights and mostly probably everything on importance. He suspected that the door was locked. The ideal situation would be to just sit and wait for her to go into the room, unlocking it herself but Levi hardly had that luxury since anyone could come any minute to the scene of him hiding behind the corner stalking the innkeeper. Plus he didn't have that much time to waste.

He straightened himself, taking a few steps backwards on the hall and then walked to her as if he had just came from his room.

"Good evening," he greeted the innkeeper who gave him a suspicious glance.

"I hope your partner told you about the disturbance you two caused."

"Yes, he mentioned it. I'm sorry, he is such a passionate young man," Levi told her with a smirk. It was amusing to see her disturbed by their activities. Levi made his way out, popping the collar of his coat up as the smirk fell of his face. Levi didn't give a shit about what she thought. There was a scent of approaching rain in the air. That was unfortunate but they'd be able to handle it. With brisk pace he made his way towards the railway station.

He kept his distance from people, evading any direct contact on the buying street. For a small town there was awfully lot of people about.

Two men caught his attention, one of them leaning lazily against a wall. They were talking to each other but because of the mass of people between them made impossible to pick up the conversation. The two men were wearing the same style of uniforms as his captors. It was safe to assume that they belonged to the forces of those people. Levi made sure not to pay anymore attention to them or they might pick up his suspicious staring and realize he might be just the person to catch and interrogate.

Levi needed to be fast getting back to Eren. They had to get out of this town as soon as possible.

His trip was quick. He saw that there was a train going south in two hours and the price was not bad. He should be able to get that amount in time. But those men that he had seen on his way over to the station made him wary. It could mean that they were looking for suspicious activity such as people going missing. Levi had no choice but to go with his first plan. He couldn't afford to make a mistake in public and end up back where they started, imprisoned.

He re-entered the inn, immediately listening to the sounds going around. He heard nothing alarming.

So before anyone had the chance to come he darted the short distance to the innkeeper, clapping a hand over her mouth as a first course of action while twisting one of her arms behind her back as well. The woman didn't know what hit her before it was too late.

She squeaked in surprise but Levi gave her no time to go into full struggle mode. She was almost weightless in his arms as he dragged her out of the chair and to the backroom door.

"I won't hurt you if you co-operate," Levi told the shocked woman. "Open the door and you'll be fine."

The woman reached for the key around her neck with a shaking hand, whimpering as she couldn't possibly open the door without taking it off her neck.

Levi made a quick decision. He turned her around and yanked her head back gently enough not to break her neck and bit down. The innkeeper squeaked again, first in pain but then she let out a breathy moan as the pleasure settled in. Levi quickly ripped the key off from her neck, opened the door with some difficulty as he maneuvered the woman in his arms.

He pushed her into the backroom as soon as the door was open. She fell on the floor, dazed by her blood being sucked out of her and the sensation it brought. Levi closed the door and joined her on the floor to suck her blood again. It didn't taste good but he knew that if he sucked enough she would hopefully pass out from blood loss.

But before he did that he asked her with a sultry whisper, "Darling, tell me where you keep the money?"

The woman moaned and pointed at the shelf above her.

"Thank you," Levi said before he sank his teeth into her again. The innkeeper moaned yet again, grasping hold of the back of Levi's coat with her filthy fingers.

When the woman finally passed out as planned, Levi felt full. He might have to puke some of the blood out not to get sick. He decided to do just that after he had taken care of the evidence that anyone had ever bitten her. He lifted her on the bed that she had in the backroom. He suspected that she lived in this very room, not needing much to herself.

After he was sure that she seemed as if she was just sleeping, Levi searched the shelf that she had pointed at. Soon he found an old tin can filled with money. He searched for something better to put the money in and found a backpack. He emptied the money into it and put the tin can back to where it had been. He left the key of hers on the table and walked out of the room with the bag over his shoulder.

He made his way back to the room where Eren waited for him. Eren eyed him suspiciously as soon as he appeared.

"Dress up, we'll be leaving soon," Levi told him.

Eren didn't ask what was in the bag. Not while he dressed anyway. Levi made sure he looked fine, his ears covered properly. They left the ugly cardigan and hat in the room. Those would not be missed.

Within an hour they made their way out of the inn.

"Where did you get the money?" Eren asked. "And don't lie to me, please," he added quietly.

Levi was taken aback by the request somewhat. As quietly as he could, Levi whispered to him. "I robbed the innkeeper."

Eren's eyes went wide. "She was not at the front desk. Don't tell me you did something-"

"No, she was away when I took the money. I made sure of that," Levi lied to Eren easily. Eren didn't need to know what he had done to get the money. "I'm sure she went to the toilet or something," he said shrugging as they walked down the street towards the station. They still had some time but Levi would prefer to buy the tickets before hand.

Which is what Levi did, making Eren wait outside the station building. Levi joined him soon enough. "The train leaves in half an hour," the vampire told him.

Levi stood as close to Eren as possible without seeming suspicious. There were no benches to sit on. The only one was in use by the elderly.

Fifteen minutes later Levi saw the two men he had hoping to be avoiding, walking towards the station.

"Whatever you do," Levi whispered to Eren. "Do not look at the two men coming at us. Let them pass without paying any attention to them. I suspect they are part of the organization that held us captive."

Eren nodded, not looking anywhere near the men who were walking towards them. They had chosen a bad spot waiting for the train. Eren prayed in his head that the men would not know who they were.

"Do you really think they'd be here?" one of the men asked the other with disdain his voice. "This is the worst job I've had for a while. Why don't they just snatch some other beasts. They did let them escape after all," the man said as he passed the duo with the other man.

Eren held his breath, looking at his feet.

"Yeah, I don't understand what we can do about it," said the man's partner as they disappeared into the station building.

Eren let the breath out slowly afraid that a loud sigh would draw attention.

"You did good," Levi whispered to him, leaning close, praising his mate.

"Let's just hope they won't follow us into the train," Eren said quietly, leaning in as well as if they were talking about something no one else was supposed to hear which was true.

"Let's hope so," Levi said, straightening his back as he leaned away, casually standing next to Eren.

But as it turned out, when the train arrived the two men got on board the same train as they did. Levi started to formulate possible plan B's as soon as he and Eren got on the train. The two men seemed like idiots but Levi didn't want to leave anything to chance.


	12. Chapter 12

_**AN: **I need to point out here that the country they live in is called Maria. It's mentioned once in the chapter so I hope that clear confusion about that._

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 12<strong>_

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><p>They found their seats pretty quickly and to their relief the men did not share the same carriage with them.<p>

Levi was worried that they'd had to jump the train on some earlier station if those two dorks figured out anything useful to them. It was looking positively certain that they did not know who they were really looking for. Them getting on the same train as Eren and him might just be a big coincidence.

Just in case Levi fixed his sleeves a bit better to be sure his shackles were not showing in any way out from his shirt and coat.

Levi tapped Eren's arm to gain his attention. "If I pull you towards me at any point, kiss me really passionately, please," he said to the young wolf.

Eren raised his eyebrows in wonderment. "Okay," he agreed not really knowing how that would help.

"It is to hide your face and as much of mine too. Just in case they know what we look like," Levi explained. "In case they show up here, that is," Levi added.

"I get it," Eren said, nodding. Eren was sitting on the aisle side while Levi was lurking by the window, looking out for possible dangers that could lurk on either side of them. "You look too suspicious like that," Eren told him. "Relax, I'm sure we'll be fine."

"We can never be too sure, Eren." Levi had to be cautious. This was the way he had been raised and the way he had lived successfully until... He would blame himself for getting caught for the rest of his life. "We should be prepared to run at any time. I will fight them if it comes to that and you will not stand in my way. Do you understand?" He was worried that Eren might try to stop him if things turned violent.

"But.."

"No buts," Levi said sternly. "I'm not going to give them any chance of telling anyone else that we were here. They'll take that knowledge to the grave."

Eren gulped. Levi's eyes were intense. Eren got a feeling that Levi was really getting into it. "I won't get in your way," he said carefully and had to look away from the insane gleam in Levi's eyes.

"Good."

* * *

><p>For the first half an hour there was literally no one in the same carriage where they were. The conductor had not arrived yet to check their tickets and Levi was getting restless. He had a feeling that something was up.<p>

"If you don't stop sneaking looks at the door behind us, someone is sure to think we are up to something," Eren whispered.

"If there was anyone else here," Levi pointed out. "Which in itself is suspicious."

"I'm sure there will be more people here at some point."

"No, that is not what I meant. The conductor hasn't been here yet. The two morons could be plotting something and we just don't know it."

Eren rolled his eyes. "Would it hurt for you to be less suspicious of everything for a few minutes?"

"Yes, it physically pains me."

Eren stared at the vampire with a straight face before sighing. "I get it. Then you won't mind if I take a nap?"

"This is hardly the time for napping but do as you wish."

Eren ignored the snappy tone of Levi's and closed his eyes. He was not feeling well. Something in the pit of his stomach was causing an ache. Maybe the rabbit he had eaten had been somehow bad? The more he explored the feeling he realized that his mid section felt numb. Overall he felt tired, more so than usually. He wondered if he had gotten injured somehow during the sex but that seemed unlikely. They hadn't gone that overboard with it and he was sure he would have felt something right then.

Levi's voice brought him back to present, "Are you alright?"

Eren opened his eyes and eyed the vampire tiredly. "I'm exhausted and not feeling so great."

Levi scanned Eren's face with his eyes. "You look kind of pale to me."

"I'm sure this will pass. I probably should have eaten more."

"Right," Levi said passively. "Tell me if you start feeling worse. I don't want you to puke all over my lap or anything."

"I will," Eren promised, closing his eyes again and in a few short moments he was fast asleep.

Levi watched the young wolf sleep. They had gotten some sleep during the day, at least Levi had but he couldn't be sure of Eren. Despite acting cool Eren had clung to him most of the day. Levi had not said anything about it. He had a feeling that Eren didn't know why either. But Levi had noticed that Eren had gotten a lot more quieter after their act of intimacy. Something was bothering the young man but Eren seemed reluctant to share his thoughts which made Levi wish he could read them.

Finally the conductor showed up, Eren sleeping right through the interaction. Levi received a "Have a nice trip you two," from the conductor and was left alone with Eren once more. In four hours they would have to change to another train to reach the rather remote location of . Levi prayed that the upcoming hours would be peaceful ones.

* * *

><p>In the meantime while the duo was safely abroad the train towards the south their captors were upset of losing their experiment subjects.<p>

The leader of the organization himself came to the scene to see what had gone wrong and if there was something to be done to prevent the same thing from happening again. The man in question got out of carriage and was greeted by a distressed looking man.

"Commander! We are happy to have you here. This whole thing is a mess," the man admitted straight away. They had send a word to the Commander right away when they discovered the escape. There was no point telling him lies.

"You don't say," the Commander commented. "Tell me exactly what happened," he demanded strictly.

"Everything was going as planned and we still don't know what went wrong but the vampire broke free and killed several people before escaping with another beast we kept in here."

"A beast?" Suddenly a woman appeared from behind the Commander. "What kind of beast?" Her eyes gleamed through her glasses that rested on her nose.

The man who she was asking this from gave the Commander an uncomfortable glance before answering, "A werewolf, ma'am." These two people were higher in rank he was. It was better to play it safe.

"A werewolf you say. Interesting," she commented correcting her glasses needlessly. "And what were you doing with this said werewolf?"

"Our head of science department, Dr. Malign, gave the werewolf to the vampire as a meal but the vampire didn't kill him so she saw an opportunity to try the vaccine on the beast, knowing that eventually the vampire would feed on the blood of the beast." Her choice was justified since they didn't need to give any poor human for the vampire to suck on. No doubt the monster would have killed the human.

"That seems a bit careless course of action," the woman said carefully.

"Indeed it does," the commander joined her agreeing with her opinion. Giving vampire a meal and a suck toy was not exactly a promising tactic to go with.

"She had her reasons. She thought that the vampire would not gain enough strength from eating the werewolf so she deemed it safe."

"I really want to talk to her. Where is she?" The woman with glasses chirped.

"She is dead, ma'am. The vampire regrettably killed her."

"That's a shame," the woman said not sounding like she cared all that much. "Can I see her lab then, assuming she had one?" The gleam of interest in her eyes got brighter.

"Of course, ma'am." The man beckoned at someone. "Geoffrey, come over here!"

A man in his thirties jogged up to them. "What can I do for you, sir?" Despite the recent happenings the man seemed at ease with what had happened.

"This is Geoffrey. He worked closely with Dr. Malign. He can show you her laboratory and tell you more of what she was working on."

Geoffrey nodded. The woman focused her gaze on him. "Great! Let's get started then!" She clapped her hands enthusiastically. She patted Geoffrey's shoulder but looked at the man she had come with. "You won't mind if I get right into business, will you Erwin?"

"Go ahead, Hanji." Erwin nodded at her approvingly. Hanji would certainly get to the bottom of what the doctor had been working on.

The woman squeaked happily. "Now show me that lab at once!" She dragged her victim away towards the building.

One they were gone the commander turned to address the man once again. "If I am right. Your security measures were severely lacking when dealing with such a powerful being as a vampire."

"Dr. Malign assured us that everything was under control. We starved the vampire for two months so he should not have posed a threat at all. She kept testing its power levels by torturing the vampire. Its wounds started to heal more slowly and slowly after we started to actively starve him. We didn't think he posed a threat either so the fault falls on all of us."

"Assumptions get you nowhere. From this moment on you take no such risks. Make sure you conduct the experiments with enough guards to take down any monster that tries to break free. This facility is for that purpose only and if such things like this happens again it won't look good on us and eventually it will make me look bad too." That would mean cut funding and research money for them. They had managed to convince enough politicians so far to give them funding for protecting the people of Maria.

"Let's go inside and tell me more of the details how the vampire escaped."

"It was late at night. The doctor had obviously taken the vampire into her laboratory for some sort of testing." The man sighed but continued his story, "Either way the guards left her alone with the vampire or so we believe because there were only some blood inside her laboratory and all the three bodies were found outside the door."

"First mistake right there," Erwin said under his breath.

"The trail then leads towards the dungeons were the werewolf was still locked up."

"Wait, why would he go to save the werewolf if he was free and able to escape on his own?" Erwin paused to think why would such a selfish creature care for something else than his own kin?

"That is the mystery, sir. The vampire made his way to the dungeon, killing everyone who he came across. Everyone except one man who told us about the cold blooded brutality the men endured in the hands of the vampire."

"He spared someone?" The incident was making less sense. "Why would he do that?"

"The man himself said that he managed to escape from the wrath of the vampire."

"That sounds unbelievable." Even more so now that they had reached the corridor next to the mess hall. The floor was stained with blood and the floor was filled with body bags ready to be carried outside to be buried. "Something isn't right here," Erwin said out loud. "Show me the dungeon."

"The dungeon is not in any better condition than this hallway sir. The vampire took his time to kill the guard that had been guarding him the whole time he was here. The door was opened with the key so we know the vampire let the werewolf loose himself."

Could revenge be the reason why the vampire returned to the dungeon? Just to kill one man but why would he free the werewolf then? Out of pity? Erwin wanted to know why they had lost two subjects in one go. "They were kept in the same cell all the time?" Erwin took a look at the cell, seeing bits of clothes shredded on the floor. He walked into the cell, picking up a black coat from the corner of the room. The two escapees had left without a coat and some clothes had been completely destroyed.

"Yes. Dr. Malign figured that there would be higher chance of getting the vampire bite the werewolf if we kept them together."

"That makes no sense either. Wouldn't the vampire be more likely to bite the werewolf if they were kept separate and put together only for short periods of time?" Erwin saw that he had made a mistake by selecting Dr. Malign to lead the project. He should have just made her do the research and leave the security and guarding issues to someone else.

"Perhaps. She was adamant we do as she wanted so we didn't argue because we didn't want any issues. She was hard to work with."

"I understand. I'll make sure to get the right personnel here and we get back on schedule as soon as possible," Erwin assured the man. "You said this happened during the night. No one else witnessed anything?"

"Not that we know of. Some people were late on getting to duty and some report hearing gunshots but those are not out of ordinary thing to happen around here so they didn't react to it. Not until someone heard screaming but they were too late to save anyone."

Erwin hummed as he inspected the torn clothes. mulling over the facts. "How many people were on duty?"

"It's hard to say but there should have been at least twenty. No one saw where they escaped but we are certain they used the old service entrance that leads down to the mess hall and dungeons. We found a dead man at the entrance there so that is most likely the way they used." Erwin and the man made their way out from the dungeon to the back entrance as the man talked. "After that, we have no clue where they could have gone. We sent messengers to each town we had someone in to look for possible odd couple of men or for men that could fit the description of either a vampire or a werewolf. We cannot be certain they are still together after the escape."

"They most probably are or at least were. They are in middle of nowhere and getting out of place like this is not easy for someone who is alone. They are probably helping each other out to get to safety." Erwin was sure the two monsters were still together. He could see the logic of having a werewolf by your side no matter how powerful you were yourself and vice versa. Although the decision to travel together with a werewolf did speak of possible weakness in the vampire. "How far could they get on foot?" Without knowing where they were headed the task of catching them would prove difficult.

"They are not human so I cannot be exactly sure. There is a small town in the east about thirty or more kilometers away. If they have any sense of direction then that is were they would go. That it the nearest one from here."

"I'll send men over there immediately and search the place. Someone must have seen them. Do we have anyone who could give good enough description for a drawing of them?" How far could those two get if one of them was possibly naked? There had to be someone who had witnessed weird pair of two men walking somewhere. Eventually someone would if it had not yet happened.

"I think so. Some of the people who worked closely with Dr. Malign, like Geoffrey, survived because of not being on duty."

"Excellent," Erwin said with a pleased smile. Even though catching the two would be almost impossible at this point, Erwin had to try to make sure the secret of the vaccine would stay a secret until it was ready to be distributed and already working. The vampires were not meant to be warned about the possibility that their entire race would soon go extinct.

* * *

><p>"Erwin!" Hanji practically bounced her way over to the blond man. Erwin had come to see the laboratory himself. "This woman, Dr. what's-her-name, was really close to perfecting the vaccine. She wrote down notes just before she died. The entries say that the vampire got violently sick but didn't die, at least not immediately. She was hoping to get to the bottom of it and I happened to find a vial with the vampire's blood still in it. I think I can continue her research right on the spot and with high possibility I'll find the reason why the vaccine did not work," she said this all in very enthusiastic way.<p>

"She has kept a really detailed diary of whatever she did. These are perfect!" Hanji cried tears in her eyes. "If this woman was alive I'd marry her."

Erwin chuckled. "I'm happy to hear that the research is not ruined."

"Far from it! I'll get right into work. This shouldn't take long. I just need to catch up on some reading and we are all set. I will run some test on the blood we found first though. We can't risk anything happening to it before we get some answers."

"I take it that you'll be fine working here from now on?"

"Of course!"

"Good. I'll have someone send your personal items from the capital."

"That would be much appreciated but now it's time for work!" Hanji squeaked, going straight into her research mode, yanking on a lab coat off a hanger from the wall.

* * *

><p>Eren opened his eyes to find Levi peering at him. "What?" he asked his voice still rough from the sleep.<p>

"We have two more hours to go. You could still sleep."

"With you staring at me?"

"Surprisingly I could tell you were waking up." The bond they had was peculiar in ways Levi wasn't sure he was comfortable with. It was lot to get used to having someone else's emotions mix with your own. Levi was feeling numb because of it. He tried to keep his own emotions in check more than usual. On top of that he could feel that Eren was there even if they were not touching. It could almost compare to seeing him sitting next to him but not quite that either. Levi was confused as to why the bond was like this. He had been told that bond was supposed to be more superficial, that he would be compelled to do whatever the oath was that he'd make not this mishmash of feelings and emotions going back and forth.

This had to be a werewolf thing, right? He really wanted to ask for details but Eren has already told him he didn't know that much. Maybe Levi would be able to ask someone from Eren's pack and get to the bottom of why things were the way they were.

He had no complaints otherwise.

"You could?" Eren asked surprised.

"Yes. When you were dreaming it felt as if I was surrounded by something really soft."

"That was a description of a feather pillow."

"Hmm, maybe it was but that is how your dreaming state feels like. Soft and quiet unlike how you are awake."

"Hey!" Eren protested. "That's mean."

"You just proved my point."

Eren stuck his tongue out and Levi scoffed at him.

"I'm truly going to Hell for this," Levi said more to himself than Eren. He was mated to a young werewolf and it showed.

"At least I'll know where to find you then," Eren said nonchalantly.

Levi glared at the young wolf but his glare was cut short when the door to the carriage opened. Levi's eyes widened for a split second before he grabbed the front of Eren's shirt. "Kiss me," he whispered to the werewolf and locked their lips together as he pulled Eren with him.

Eren let out a soft 'oompfh!' but complied, hearing the footsteps of two men. Eren's body grew tense as the footsteps neared. The werewolf couldn't help but think that the two men were here to catch them. That they had finally figured it out. He was ready to panic, his breath hitching but Levi swallowed any noises that could have escaped from his mouth.

As the men passed them they heard one of the snort, "Faggots," in a disgusted tone.

Levi could feel how terrified Eren was and so the kiss turned into a series of small gentle kisses meant to comfort Eren. Levi tried to keep the werewolf calm, gently touching the side of his face. As soon as the door on the other end of the carriage opened and closed, Levi pulled back just a breath away. "They're gone," he whispered against Eren's lips. "We'll be fine. They didn't notice," Levi continued just as quietly.

Eren calmed down, sitting back on his own seat sighing deeply. Few minutes later Eren saw by chance that the men were coming back. "Shit," he cursed before turning to Levi again. The vampire hadn't noticed the two men yet and was a bit surprised when Eren smooched him once more.

"Ugh," one of them men voiced his thoughts about seeing two men kissing. "Why are they so important anyways?"

"How am I supposed to know," the other one said as they passed Levi and Eren.

Levi watched them pass from the corner of his eye. The men didn't spare them a backward glance at all, thinking it was safe to discuss their business in the presence of other people.

"The order didn't say why we are hunting some fairy tale creatures. What I don't get is why they'd think they would mingle among humans? Wouldn't we recognize them right away?" The man asked incredulously, obviously not believing in vampires of werewolves. Some people were so dense or lucky not ever meeting either.

The men left the carriage once again, seemingly done with their search throughout the train.

"We are safe," Levi said to his distressed mate who rested his head on Levi's shoulder.

"For now," Eren replied forbiddingly.

Little did they know that even if the crisis seemed adverted the leader of the organization had issued a hefty prize for anyone who'd catch the two of them. Their escape was far from over.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>

So finally we have a name for the evil woman who died, hence the joke of her name, and we got Erwin and Hanji popping in. Later on I'm going to get more into Erwin and what kind of man he is so don't worry about that.

On more personal note, I'm returning to my studies so in the near future I shall be busier than normal so I am pretty certain my update intervals get longer, gradually at least.


	13. Chapter 13

_**AN: Here we go with an update. I know this is about 1k shorter in words than the rest but the pacing felt right for this so.. Either way, enjoy!**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Chapter 13<strong>_

* * *

><p>"We'll be in Trost in less than an hour," Levi said, rummaging through the backpack. He offered Eren some money. "Take this, just in case you need it."<p>

"Why would I need it?" Eren had no other needs to buy anything.

Levi went back to rummaging the bag. "In case we get separated." Which was unlikely to happen if Levi had anything to say about it.

"But we can't. The bond won't let us be apart," Eren panicked. Was Levi planning on ditching him at the first chance he would get? Eren couldn't help but wonder.

"I know I know," Levi hushed. "But do our captors know that, hmm? I understand that it will be extremely painful but if we have no choice in the matter.." Levi trailed off as he took a sum of money from the bag, putting it in his own coat pocket.

Eren did the same, frowning. "You better not sacrifice yourself protecting me or some other shit like that," Eren huffed. "I'm not willing to feel the pain."

"Well as far as I know, the idiots didn't even realize we are on this train. Our future looks bright so far."

If only Eren could believe that. "Don't jinx it."

Levi made sure they had everything. He knew it was kind of silly to check when he had not removed anything from the bag until now but he liked to call it a habit if nothing else. "Stop believing in such superstitious things."

Eren frowned again but stayed quiet.

It was during the night that they arrived at Trost. The next train would leave early in the morning and that was unacceptable. The station itself was empty, lit poorly by a few candle lit lamps.

"Looks like we need to stay here for a whole day if we want to catch the next train to south towards Karanese." Levi was thinking of other possible measures to get them to Karanese but nothing was as fast as a train would be.

"Is that where we are going?" Eren asked intrigued to finally hear something about their destination.

"Yes. I was captured in a small village nearby," Levi said quietly, looking around carefully. He didn't want to think about the blunder of his life which almost ended in his death. Now it was more important to keep his mind on the present.

Levi didn't want to tell Eren exactly where they were going in case things went horribly wrong and either of them were captured or in this case Eren was. At least Eren wouldn't be able to give away the exact location. The village was not important as that was not where they were going. Their true destination laid ten kilometers west from that small village. There would rise the gates that kept humans out of the grounds. There would be the place Levi called home.

"We better find a place to stay," Levi said and started to walk quickly towards the town. Eren followed after him casting looks around to see if there were any more of those men in familiar uniforms lurking about.

It wasn't hard to spot yet another inn that they decided to spend the next day in. Paying upfront for the room, they made their way to the room that faced the street below.

Levi checked the room for what purpose, Eren didn't know.

"It's stuffy in here," Levi commented opening the window ever so slightly. He then paused to look out of the window. He crouched down and Eren wondered why.

Levi beckoned him over, placing a finger on his lips to indicate that he'd do so silently.

Eren saw what Levi was looking at. The same two men were right outside talking to some other men who were wearing the same uniforms as them. Eren tilted his head ever so slightly to hear what they were saying.

He could pick up pieces of their conversation.

"_..didn't see..normal." _

"_..you were.. must.."_

"_Why do we have to!?" _one of the men exclaimed very clearly.

Eren couldn't make out what he was answered.

"_.. need.. keep.. they must.." _

"_..not likely.. keep eyes.." _

"Can you hear what they are saying?" Levi asked quietly.

"Not really," Eren said. "But they are most likely still looking for us if their hushed tones are anything to go by."

"So we cannot let our guard down yet," Levi commented absentmindedly as he fell into deep thought. "We have to stay hidden. You cannot go outside during the day. It will be too risky in this situation."

Eren nodded understanding the reasoning. They'd need to stay put until they were on their way to Karanese.

"Get some sleep while you can," Levi said in a tone Eren believed to be gentle.

Levi was worried for Eren. The werewolf didn't seem be quite himself. Levi hoped it was a passing phase and not something the bond had caused. He had to taken into account that Eren was not a vampire not was he a mere human. There was a chance his werewolf blood was causing some trouble for him. The chance was slim but it was still there. People were unique after all.

Unsettling feeling formed in the pit of Levi's stomach. He prayed he hadn't caused Eren to lose his mind or health. He would need to discuss it with his uncle when they'd make their way back home.

"Are you alright?" Levi asked as they moved away from the window, making sure the men did not see them.

"Yeah yeah, I'm fine," Eren said, not meeting Levi's questioning gaze. He didn't know why the vampire was paying attention to his well being.

"You can't lie to me, Eren." He meant he could feel Eren's uneasiness and the look on Eren's face wasn't exactly a happy one. The signs were not hard to read.

"I know." Of course Levi could feel what he didn't want him to. Would he be able to hide anything from the shorter man?

Levi couldn't comprehend his reasons. Why was the werewolf denying that there was something wrong? "Eren," he said sternly. "Talk to me. I want to know if there is anything I can do."

"I said I'm fine," Eren argued.

"You look like you are in pain," Levi pointed out. There was pained look on Eren's face.

Why wasn't Levi letting this go? "I said-"

Levi grabbed Eren's arm. "I know what you said but I'm saying I do not believe you." What would it take to get the young wolf to crack?

Eren sighed, trying to step away from the vampire.

Levi eyed his face carefully, or the side of it that he could see. "I'm trying to help you."

"I don't need it."

Levi furrowed his brows in confusion. Where was this hostility coming from? Eren had gotten awfully defensive the moment he wanted to know if he was okay. "If you think you are doing me some kind of favour by not telling me when you are not feeling well..."

"Then what? Are you going to punish me?"

"Is that what you want me to do? Punish you?" Levi's tone dropped. His hold of Eren's arm got softer.

"Don't be silly." Eren stepped away.

"But I like to be silly sometimes, Eren." He wrapped his arms around Eren's middle in an attempt to tease the werewolf but Eren's reaction was beyond what he expected.

"Don't touch me!" Eren yanked himself free pushing Levi's arms away with as much strength as he could muster. The vampire stared at him like he had slapped him across the face instead. "And stop staring at me like I'm crazy."

Maybe the werewolf was crazy as Levi feared.

* * *

><p>"Commander, sir, there has been a report from Godensham. An innkeeper reported that a vampire attacked and robbed her. The said vampire was with another man. They fit the descriptions of the two runaways."<p>

"Hmm," Erwin hummed. "Now we know the direction they went." Now the only thing was to determine where they were going. "Get me Hanji," he told the man who had brought in the report.

Few minutes later Hanji arrived. "I am on the verge of discovery! What is it?"

"I need to know where from the vampire and werewolf were captured?" Erwin looked at Hanji expectantly.

"Ooh! The diary of Dr. Malign said that the vampire was caught just north of Karanese and the werewolf was somewhere near the small town of Shiganshina, it's in the western border."

Erwin was grateful for Hanji's amazing memory. She had the skill to memorize things she had recently read. "So they could be going south or southwest if they are on their way home?"

"Could be."

"They were spotted in Godensham just east of here," Erwin told her, waiting if she would have any kind of input to give.

"So they are travelling together?"

"Yes. It does however seem that they are travelling via the routes that humans use. I would predict them getting on a train or ship to get south faster than they could get on foot and that would explain why they stole the money from the innkeeper. So we can assume that we have a high chance intercepting them before they reach south if we act fast enough. They probably part ways the moment they deem it safe." That would be problematic for them if the two got too far. Time was against them trying to catch the two monsters.

"If I may interrupt," the man who had fetched Hanji spoke up. "The innkeeper said that the two of them were lovers."

Lovers? Erwin raised his eyebrows in wonder. What a situation to gain a lover. "That would explain why the vampire released the werewolf in the first place."

"Aaaw, that is so cute," Hanji injected in. "Isn't it wonderful how the two met in such a circumstances and fell in love?" Hanji cued. "That's true love I tell you."

"That makes this very interesting," Erwin mused to himself. "We have a very high chance of catching them together after all."

* * *

><p>Eren slept in the corner of the room all day transformed into his wolf form. Levi sensed every time when the werewolf woke up but Eren didn't speak to him. The werewolf seemed to be upset, mad or something like that and Levi had no idea why. Levi was concerned since Eren wasn't eating either.<p>

For the time being Levi left the werewolf alone. He would force him to eat something later when it was safe for them to move about.

The day turned into evening and Levi peeked through the curtains out of the street, not seeing anything out of ordinary.

"We need to go," he informed his furry mate in the corner of the room. Eren transformed back to his human form and dressed himself while Levi took out some money to pay the train tickets and hopefully get some food for the quiet companion of his.

Levi refrained from saying anything else to the young wolf. He sensed that Eren had calmed down though but it didn't mean Eren was any happier than before. If Eren's wrath had not subsided when they reach Levi's home, then the vampire would take action.

As Levi came to notice, they had no problems getting on the train, no uniformed men followed them at all which meant that they were safer now than ever.

It was a good chance to relax. It would be up to four hour journey to Karanese. Levi opted not to talk to the werewolf until Eren talked to him himself which made their journey to Karanese a very quiet one.

Levi's thoughts lingered on what he could have done to set the werewolf off. Surely the hugging had not been the original cause? He had only meant to tease the young wolf a bit, lighten the mood so to speak but it had gone wrong and Levi wanted to know why. He was just scared to ask in case the werewolf bit his head off or tried something like that.

It was late night when the familiar coast line greeted Levi's gaze. Karanese was just ten minutes away. He took a look at his mate who was still brooding. Levi was surprised that Eren could stay silent for this long. It was not an unwelcome trait though.

As the train slowed coming towards the station, Levi touched Eren's shoulder only briefly to gain his attention. Out of spite Levi didn't say anything as he got up, making his way to the doors. Eren followed him looking cranky. Levi was tempted to say something and was about to give into his urges to do so when he noticed something weird.

There were no lights at the station as the train hit the brakes, slowly coming to a full stop.

"Something's wrong," Levi said out loud, peering through the window of the exit door.

Then he saw something move in the shadows.

There were several men hiding in the shadows of the train station.

"We are taking the opposite door," Levi told Eren, turning around. "Now!" he barked when Eren didn't seem to comply his request at first.

"But why? That door leads straight on the rails!" was the first thing Eren said after a full day of silence.

"Shut up and do as I say!" Levi hissed at him. He opened the door facing away from the station.

"Levi," Eren whined clearly not happy about being pushed out of the door.

"We are being followed," Levi offered as an answer. He couldn't be exactly sure but it was safe to assume the worst.

His assumption was soon proved by an angry shout, "They are escaping!"

"Shit," Levi cursed. He tugged Eren forward. "We need to run and fast!"

At the sound of gunfire Eren bolted finally understanding how bad their situation was. The young wolf stripped off his jacket and almost ripped off his belt not giving a damn about what happened to his clothes as he transformed. But before he did he snapped at the vampire, "Get on!"

Levi didn't protest to cling on to the huge wolf. Eren was after all a lot faster than he would ever be.

When he felt that Levi had a secure hold, Eren sprinted as fast as he could across the rails, towards the exact opposite direction where they would need to go.

Gunshots rang in the air.

Unfortunately for Levi, one of them made contact with his left shoulder. Levi gasped out of surprise and pain. He couldn't keep his hold of Eren with his left hand but the hold he had with the other hand was strong enough.

The bullet had silver in it without a doubt because it kept burning his shoulder in excruciating way. The wound was healing, leaving the bullet inside his shoulder. Which was the intention of the said bullet. There guys were not amateurs when it came to catching a prey.

Eren could feel the pain emanating from Levi. He wanted to stop and help his mate but that could mean getting them both killed. Eren ran, his heart thumping painfully in his chest. He wanted to howl at the night sky because of the pain and sorrow going through his being. Sorrow for the simple fact that he had not been able to protect Levi like he had promised.

"To the right!" Levi said harshly as Eren was going south not changing direction at all.

Eren veered to the right, pawing away at speed that Levi was grateful for. They had left the danger behind them moments ago and were making a hasty escape.

Eren ran for the next quarter of an hour before he stopped. Levi slid off, his left arm hanging uselessly at his side as he could not move it due to the instant pain he experienced if he did.

Eren was heaving, his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

The werewolf had done well and Levi let him know that.

The appearance of the organization had been a small surprise back at the station but Levi knew he should have anticipated something such as that happening. Still Levi and Eren, both, were left with one thought alone.

How did they know to await them at the station?


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: **In this chapter we get a small glimpse of what people have been waiting for, a tiny bit. More to come in the next one after this.

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 14<strong>_

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><p>"Those guys are more than just ordinary crooks," Levi said to Eren as he took course towards what he hoped to be a safe route to home.<p>

The wolf dragged after him at laze pace, still breathing heavily.

"They knew exactly where we were going which shows they have some pretty smart people leading the search." Levi knew that it didn't take a genius to figure out that at least he was going back towards Karanese. But the goons he had been held captive by for months were not the ones behind this. He could be sure of that. That in itself indicated that there was more to the people he had thought he was dealing with. "I could have sworn that we were held captive by some monster killing enthusiasts."

But as it turned out Levi found himself thinking more and more that they could have stumbled upon something much more sinister than that.

"Either way," Levi said out loud. "We need to get to my home as soon as possible." They were not so far away from their goal now. He could practically smell the distinct odor of his quarters in his nose as he thought about it.

Levi kept letting out pain filled breaths as his shoulder ached. It made walking very uncomfortable but there was nothing he could do about it. They didn't have a knife to carve the bullet out. He'd ask his uncle to do it once they were home.

For Eren's sake Levi kept walking on with a pace that would give the wolf time to calm his heart rate, then they would pick up the pace once again. Levi didn't look forward to it because of his damn injury. He touched his shoulder carefully.

He confirmed what he knew to true.

The wound on the surface was healed, leaving the bullet sealed within the shoulder. The skin on it felt burning hot and that didn't bode well.

"I'm fine," he gritted through his teeth as he sensed Eren's growing worry for him.

A moment later he heard Eren say, "You could die from that, you know."

"Ah and suddenly you are an expert in this? Something like this would never kill me."

"But in the long run it cannot be good." Eren fell into step next to the vampire.

Levi could only respect the young man for being able to so casually stroll around the woods naked. He contemplated taking advantage of the sight that me would see if he glanced at his mate but since Eren had been mad at him less than hour ago it was better not to. But then he remembered that Eren had told him how it was perfectly normal for him to be naked. Eren wouldn't mind would he? But then again he might because Levi did not think it was normal and he would have pervy thoughts.

" ... Are you listening to me?"

Apparently Eren had been talking and Levi had not heard a word. "What?"

Eren sighed, rolling his eyes. "I'm good to go if you are," he told the vampire as it was apparent he had not heard a word that Eren had spoke to him.

"We are not far. We better pick up the pace just in case those goons have any means to follow us," Levi said agreeing.

"I'll carry you again. I'm not taking any chances they catch upon us."

Levi nodded. "We have about half and hour by foot but with your speed we will be there in no time."

"Glad to hear that," was the last thing Eren said before he transformed back into his wolf form.

It was more difficult for Levi to get on this time around but he managed, tugging his arm securely over his belly even if it hurt like hell to do so. He hang on to Eren's fur as Eren started out slow, picking up speed gradually. Levi gave him directions as they went. When they came to the railways, crossing them as quickly as possible, Levi started to feel confident that they had managed to slip through their chasers fingers.

About ten minutes later, through the woods that Levi guided Eren, Levi finally saw a familiar sight. "Run straight towards that fence over there," he told Eren who made adjusted their course towards an old iron fence that was covered here and there by vegetation that looked similar to ivy and hops.

As they reached the fence Levi climbed down from Eren's back. "We're home," he told the wolf. Levi peered through the fence and looked left and right. "There's a gate near here. We just need to find it."

It took only a few minutes for Levi to locate it. Of course it was locked. He had not expected it to be open in the first place. "Now we wait," he said to Eren who was changing back to his human form.

"Wait for what?" Eren asked as he gazed through the gate out at the vast yard he saw. There was no on in sight. A mansion like building was situated in the background too far away from anyone to see them standing at the back gate. No one would even hear them if they tried to shout. So Eren was a little perplexed what they were waiting for.

"Ah, there," Levi said with a smile on his face.

Eren tried to see what the vampire was looking at and then he noticed something. "It's a dog?" he asked out loud full of confusion.

"Not just any dog. Smutty, come here!"

Smutty? What kind of name was that? Eren looked at fascination as Levi called out to the dog with familiarity that only pets had with their owners. "Is it your dog?"

"No but who it belongs to won't be far behind," Levi explained. The dog did not come to Levi which he found odd until he realized the dog was not looking at him but at Eren. Levi glanced at the werewolf and then back to the dog which kept its distance from the gate, warily eyeing them. The dog was wary of Eren and not in a way that he normally was of strangers. "The dog can clearly sense you are a werewolf."

Eren could see the dog averted its eyes each time he made eye contact with it. Eren had hardly ran into dogs and when he did, the beasts would bare their fangs to him or cower in fear at the sight of him. This dog however was braver than usual. It knew Eren was not a threat as he had no way of getting past the gate until someone opened it from the inside.

The dog started to bark, glancing back towards the mansion from the corner of its eye while keeping an eye on Levi and Eren.

Suddenly Levi turned to him, taking his coat off. "Here put this on before the gatekeeper arrives," he said handing out his coat to Eren. He couldn't have Eren traipsing around naked now could he? For one thing, he didn't like to share what was his.

A minute later Eren saw someone walking towards them across the field. It was a tall man, handling another dog on a leash. That dog was much bigger and more menacing than 'Smutty' was and it stopped to growl at them, specifically at Eren once it got close enough.

"Well well well, look who we got here," the man said as he reached his barking dog. Smutty fell quiet as soon as its owner was withing arms length. "Levi, where on devil's lands have you been? You should know how Kenny hates it when you don't tell him where you are."

"I had a small complication on the way home," Levi explained simply. Clearly he was not going into details just yet.

"I see. Well you better go inside and talk to your uncle. He has been driving everyone crazy for the past months that you have been missing," the man said and dug for a set of keys from his coat pocket.

"Oh, I intend to. My disappearance was not voluntary."

"Do tell?" The tall man appeared to be also an vampire if Eren could judge him by his appearance and lack of healthy color on his face.

"You will hear all about it later, Seamus," Levi said as the man, he called Seamus, opened the gate. "Thank you."

Seamus took a look at Levi as he passed through the gate. "You better get that shoulder fixed." He then fixed his eyes on Eren who silently followed after Levi. "And who's this?"

"My mate," Levi said and the man's reaction was comical.

His eyes widened and his eyebrows disappeared into his hairline. "You don't say?" Seamus mused out loud, looking at Eren with keen eyes.

The dogs kept their distance from Eren but showed no hostility towards him because Seamus didn't.

Eren felt a sense of dread fall upon him as they neared the mansion. He felt out of place already and they had hardly even reached the house. Something about the place sent shivers down his spine, making him glance around warily.

Without a word Levi reached for Eren's hand and took it into his own. As they reached some sort of back door to the mansion, Seamus opened up the conversation once again. "Levi, if what you say is true about him being your mate, you better speak with the council as soon as possible."

"I know. They're not going to like it but I had no choice."

"That is starting to sound like an interesting story. I'd love to hear all of it later. Perhaps on dinner?"

Dinner? Eren glanced between the two vampires suddenly feeling like a piece of meat to be shared between carnivores. Exactly what kind of customs did these vampires have? Eren was scared to even think of what dinner meant.

"It depends on the council and their decision."

"Indeed it does," Seamus agreed. "I won't keep you any longer. It's good to have you back, Levi."

Levi smiled a genuine smile for the first time in days. "It's good to be home."

With that the conversation was over and Levi led Eren inside to his 'home'. The mansion was huge, much bigger than Eren had thought it would be. "How many people live here?"

Levi was distracted with the urgency of talking to his uncle that he almost missed Eren's question and even then he thought it was rather odd one. "My whole clan lives in this building. There isn't many of us left but enough to fill most of the rooms."

Eren didn't ask any further questions as Levi's pace was becoming increasingly faster and he had trouble keeping up. Eren heard the little hisses that passed through Levi's teeth as the vampire marched through the building, knowing where to turn and what doors to take. Eren was sure he would get lost in this mansion if he wasn't careful.

"Levi!" a male voice suddenly exclaimed from the end of the corridor that they were in at the moment. At the end of it stood a man with open arms, looking very pleased to see Levi. Eren made a wild guess that this was his uncle?

"Where on earth have you been?" the man asked. "I have been worried sick when I receive no messages, not even a whisper of a rumor about your whereabouts."

Levi didn't have any interest of answering his uncle's questions at this very moment. "I have a silver bullet in my shoulder that needs digging out," was the first thing Levi said to him.

The man looked shocked. "Who shot you?"

"I'll explain once this devil is out of me. It burns like hellfire," Levi said openly showing how uncomfortable it was to have such a thing causing trouble. His face was twisted in pain and he hissed again.

"Take a seat and I'll cut it out," Levi's presumable uncle said, pushing the doors open to a spacious room. Eren had no time or interest to inspect the decorations of the room as he was worried for his mate who was making his way to a divan in middle of the room.

"So," the man, who had disappeared into another room for a few seconds, said. "While we do this, could I inquire who is your companion?"

"Uncle, this is my mate, Eren." Levi introduced the young wolf to the man. "Eren, this is my uncle Kenny."

"Nice to meet you Eren," Kenny said as he took out a vicious looking scalpel from a small box he had in his hands. He had retrieved it from his own room apparently.

"Likewise," Eren replied politely.

"I should have known you would get yourself a werewolf mate when you love those god forsaken mutts of Seamus' so much," Kenny commented half-heartedly as he made a cut on Levi's skin.

Eren couldn't watch as Kenny operated Levi's shoulder, digging out the bullet while Levi endured the pain but his breathing got harsh.

Levi let out a sigh of relief when the bullet was out of his system. Eren saw how he visibly relaxed after it was gone.

Kenny directed his next words to Eren, "You better take him to rest for a while and give him some blood." Then he mercilessly patted Levi's injured shoulder. "We'll talk after you are back to normal."

"Fuck off," Levi groaned in pain and Kenny just laughed at him.

"I see he is still the same old little boy I have always known. Maybe you'll make a man out of him yet, hmm?" Kenny said giving a Eren a wink.

Eren blushed a little as he thought of what Levi's uncle could possibly mean with that. He was saved from any further embarrassment when Kenny left them alone and Levi rose to his feet slowly. "You should get some rest," Eren repeated Kenny's advice as he went to help Levi fully concerned if the vampire was now alright.

"Stop fussing. I'm fine," Levi said annoyed with Eren's mother hen tendencies.

"I'm not fussing," Eren protested. "Come on, we both need some rest after what we've been through." He had to admit that he could really use a nap right now. All the adrenaline that had been pumping in his veins was starting to wear off as soon as he knew he was safe.

Levi grabbed Eren by his arm, gently guiding him towards a door on the opposite side of the one that Kenny had disappeared through. "You are right. We could use some rest. The council and my uncle can wait a bit."

Eren was not surprised that when they entered Levi's room it was not as decorative as the lounge had been. Sure Levi had pictures over the mantle of the fire place and he even had portraits hanging from the walls which Eren noticed to have a resembles to him so the people in those pictures must be relatives of Levi's.

But other than that there was not that much of anything in the room other than a bed and a wardrobe.

"I thought vampires slept in coffins," Eren commented as if he was surprised to see that Levi had a bed. He was not but he had been curios anyway.

"If you want to see a coffin then go to talk to my uncle," Levi replied as he sat down on the bed. He was exhausted and he really craved for some blood. The bullet had taken its toll on him. "He has one as he likes to live up to the legends that humans have about vampires. He's a show off," Levi said as he started to undo the buttons on his shirt carefully. The shoulder was already healing but slowly. He'd needed blood to regenerate more quickly.

Levi watched Eren look around the room for a few seconds before he patted the bed next to him. "Eren, come here."

Eren hummed as he sat down. "Do you need to eat?"

Levi took a breath to say something to deny it but gave up. "Yes if you don't mind."

"Why would I?" Eren asked as he stripped off the coat that he had been wearing. He'd need some proper clothes, again. If only he could go home where he didn't need to worry about upsetting someone because he showed a bit of bare skin.

Levi smirked as he placed a hand on Eren's neck and leaned in. "I keep forgetting you love this."

Eren scoffed. "You know fully well how it makes me feel. Stop trying to tease me about it." Eren hoped that the vampire would eventually grew tired of reminding him how Eren couldn't help being affected by Levi's fangs.

Levi laughed darkly with a low tone his breath washing over Eren's sensitive skin. "I like it how flustered you get when I do." Instead of sinking his fangs into Eren's neck he pulled back.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked confused as to why Levi had not fed on him.

Levi placed his mouth against Eren's in a chaste kiss. "Thank you, Eren. You saved both of our lives today," he said as soon as he pulled back.

Eren was too stunned to do much of anything about it, even less capable of saying anything outstandingly smart. "Of course. I mean of course I did what I had to do."

"I am grateful for that. If I had been alone I would be back in that cell by now I imagine."

"Or dead."

Levi's eyes traveled down to Eren's neck and he licked his lips. He couldn't wait any longer. "Indeed," he said absentmindedly back to Eren.

"Just eat," Eren groaned as he was getting impatient waiting for the vampire to make up his mind and stop looking at him like he was the tastiest meal on earth.

As Levi finally sank his fangs into his neck, Eren shivered. He had missed this. It was one thing that Levi bit him but the feeling of him drinking was what really had him going crazy. Eren wasn't ashamed to keep back his moan of pleasure. Levi's touch on his neck gained in strength as the vampire leeched himself better on the Eren's neck.

Eren didn't know what to do with his hands. He wanted to run them all over his mate, to feel him up just to satisfy this unnaturally sudden feeling of lust. He didn't necessarily need to hold back either as he was sure Levi would not reject him. Eren could feel that Levi was pleased with his reactions and as he had said, he liked to tease Eren.

The distance between them that had been there all day was suddenly wiped away by something as simple as sharing his blood with Levi. He felt much closer to the vampire like this than any other time.

Levi hummed, licking on Eren's neck feeling utterly satisfied with his meal. Nothing could beat the unique flavour that was Eren's blood, his mate's blood. But there was something he had noticed which he found interesting. "Your blood has an aftertaste that has been changing each time I take a sip."

"An aftertaste?" Eren asked dazed, his mind filled with lustful thoughts that he didn't try to push away. He wanted Levi to have some payback from what he had done to him. Let the vampire feel his desire and join his misery of being teased.

Levi licked his teeth, making sure every last drop of the delicious blood was on it's way to his stomach and not staining his teeth. "Yes, it is different than what your blood tasted like the last time I bit you, in the woods." Levi cocked his head to the side. Was this a clue to what was ailing Eren? Sick people did tend to taste different than healthy ones but so far Eren's flavour had not gone bad like it should if he was really sick. Eren tasted as delicious as ever which made Levi wonder.

Eren was perplexed as to what could be causing his blood to taste different. "Maybe it was something I ate."

"Haha very funny," Levi said accompanied by a humorless laughter. "If you were seriously ill, I would taste it but that's not it," he told the werewolf to appease his mind so that Eren wouldn't worry.

"I feel fine. Really, really fine," he purred out to the vampire.

"I see that," Levi smirked back at the young wolf who was closing in on him in a very pleasant way. "We need to rest, Eren," Levi gently reminded him.

"Just a kiss or two and I'll go to sleep," the werewolf said as he enjoyed the after effects of having his blood being sucked.

"As you wish." Levi let the werewolf claim his lips into a lazy kiss. He had to admit that he liked the way Eren behaved after he had fed from him. He could really get used to this. Just as Eren had wondered, so did Levi, about the distant behaviour of the werewolf's. There was no sign left of Eren wanting to push him away at the moment. It was quite the opposite as the werewolf forced Levi to lie down, trailing kisses along his jaw and down his neck.

Eren did keep his word though as he came down from his cloud nine. "I'm sleepy," he told Levi and without saying anything, the vampire helped him up from the bed long enough to pull back the covers. Eren snuggled into the bed, sighing happily and he had Levi following after him as soon as he shed his own clothes off. Levi was not denying how much he liked the fact that Eren didn't mind nudity at all.

Eren turned to face him, touching the spot on Levi's shoulder that had been injured. "The wound has already closed?" he asked in wonderment.

"Yes, thanks to you. It doesn't hurt anymore."

"Wow, that is fast," Eren said, tracing patterns on the skin, looking thoughtful.

Levi pulled him close by his waist. "Let's get some sleep. We have a long day ahead." Levi closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He felt Eren shift a little to a better position before the wolf's breathing evened out and they both fell into a peaceful slumber.

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><p><strong>AN: <strong>So next we will have Council of Elders and more of what Levi's clan is like. It's going to be an informative chapter I believe, heheheee!


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

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><p>As soon as Levi woke up he knew he was in his own bed. The familiar feeling of the sheets and the mattress under him made him think he was still dreaming. The only thing that was not as familiar as the other things around him was the weight on top of him. Eren was practically wrapped around him still snoozing away.<p>

Where the werewolf found all that energy to sleep, Levi could only wonder. Maybe Eren wasn't sick at all and just exhausted. Exhaustion did tricks to the mind and some people did get rather snappy when they were tired.

Levi was glad to notice that he was not feeling sick at all from drinking Eren's blood. Whatever the mad scientist had done to Eren was long gone from his blood or stopped working on Levi, either way the vampire was happy. He threaded his fingers into Eren's hair, scratching him from behind one of his ears.

Eren mumbled something in his sleep as he started to wake up.

"What was that?" Levi asked quietly as he could not make out the words but somehow he thought he heard irritation in Eren's tone.

Eren sighed, opening his eyes. "I said stop treating me like a dog."

Levi chuckled. "But you are a-"

Eren slapped a hand over his mouth. "Not another word or you will regret it."

Levi nodded and the hand was moved away. "I never knew the topic was that sensitive to you."

"You have a lot to learn about me if you think you can compare me to a dog."

"I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

The way Levi gave in was somewhat suspicious but little did Eren know that Levi was just trying not to anger him unnecessarily.

Eren propped his head up, resting his cheek against his arm as he looked at the blood sucker who was his mate. The world around them was quiet. There was a familiar musky smell that lingered in the air that Eren identified as Levi's scent. Eren smiled to himself as he could pick up the scent mark he had left on Levi easily without trying.

Such a shame it was no use around here among the vampires.

The moment seemed almost normal but then Eren dismissed the thought. There was nothing normal about being in the same bed with a vampire.

Suddenly the door was banged open. "Levi, my darling little boy, time to get up!" Kenny exclaimed loudly but happily as he took in the sight of the two mates waking up. "Ooh, did I interrupt something? I hope not."

"No, we only had a nap," Levi said as he sat up, gently untangling himself from Eren.

"Without your clothes? Try again, my boy," Kenny didn't seem like he was going to believe the truth at all.

Levi just rolled his eyes at him. "Why are you here?"

"I came to hear all the glorious details on how you managed to get bonded to this cute poodle," Kenny said looking at Eren his eyes filled with curiosity.

Levi almost smiled at the choice of words but Eren's displeasure towards them made him clear his throat and address his uncle with a serious tone, "Please refrain from insulting my mate, Uncle."

Kenny looked surprised but only mildly. "Not bad," he commented stewing thoughtful look on his face.

Eren was reminded of the previous encounter with Kenny where the vampire had told him to make a man out of Levi. Somehow Eren suspected it had nothing to do with anything sexual but rather something to do with Levi's personality.

"So, will you tell me how did you two meet?" Kenny asked as he took a seat at the edge of the bed.

Eren looked from Kenny to Levi wanting to say that he wasn't as comfortable with Kenny's presence as Levi seemed to be.

Levi sighed as he didn't need Eren to tell him that. "Uncle, please. Give us some privacy, will you?"

Eren found it a bit odd to hear Levi being so formal with his own uncle when he had been cursing at the man earlier.

"But I am so happy you are home. Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

"Yes I do and I will tell you all about it but not when I'm butt naked."

Kenny exploded into laughter. "That's my boy. Having some standards I see."

"I would hardly call them standards. It's more of common courtesy which you seem to lack."

"Alright but once you are dressed you will tell me everything," Kenny said his face turning serious just as his tone did too.

"I will," Levi promised.

"Good. I will leave you two love birds alone then for a minute or two. Get dressed. The council will be eager to hear the details just as much as I am."

Did he need to remind him? Levi was not looking forward to meeting the council with Eren. It could only mean that things would be difficult from here on out if the council was opposed to Levi's bonding. Levi sighed tiredly anticipating that the day would be exhausting.

"What time is it?" Eren suddenly asked when Kenny was gone and they were alone once more. Heavy curtains were drawn in front of the window, blocking any sunlight coming in.

"Time is irrelevant here. We don't go out at daylight and that is the only thing that we keep track of."

"How?" Eren couldn't fathom how Levi could know if it was day or night with the windows blocked so well.

"There is a window facing north at the entrance. It's like our version of a clock."

"So you are saying that you might not go outside for days and not even know what time it is? Does that mean you can sleep at any time you want?"

"Yes, yes and yes. Keeping track of time only becomes relevant once you step outside the house."

Eren was blown away by this sheer lack of interest in what time of the day it was. Levi sure had known exactly how to track time while they had been trying to escape which could only mean that Levi was not as ignorant as it may first seem.

Eren noticed how Levi was looking down at his own hand, flexing the fingers while eyeing the scar on the back of his hand. The scar was a reminder for them both, not only to Levi but to Eren as well. Eren would always be reminded how easy his time in captivity had been compared to Levi's.

Before Eren could say anything about it Levi moved out of the bed. "Let's get dressed. I'll find you something to wear." Levi rummaged through his wardrobe, dressing himself and feeling at home in his own clothes but he could hardly find anything that would fit Eren. "I'll have to ask my uncle if he could spare you a shirt and pants unless you want to walk around in my bathrobe all day."

"The bathrobe doesn't sound so bad to be honest."

Levi looked at Eren who was still sitting on the bed. The covers hanging loosely around Eren's middle, hiding his lower section from view. If Eren was just a lover he would not let him out of the bed just yet but he was not. Also he did not have that luxury today. Not at least until the business with the council was done. Depending on their decision there either might be a celebration in order or Levi could be packing his bags.

"I have a better idea," Levi said as he suddenly had an idea what he could make Eren wear. "I'll be back in a minute." He left the room to head to a one that he had not been in quite a while.

Eren watched him go. Levi seemed tense this morning and not relaxed like Eren had thought he would be once they'd make it back to his home. Everyone he had met seemed nice so far. The gatekeeper and Levi's uncle had been acting as if Eren was not out of place which made Eren wonder. What would the council be like?

Levi soon returned with a bunch of clothing in his hands which turned out to be a set of robes. "These robes belonged to my father. They should fit you."

Eren looked at the robes. They looked expensive, made out of fabric with complex patterns all over them. "Are you sure?"

"Yes. They are a bit outdated these days but no one is going to use them otherwise. Plus the council might like you better in proper clothes."

That made Eren pause. "What do you mean?"

"What?"

"That the council _might_ like me?"

"I'll explain while you get dressed," Levi said, beckoning Eren to get out of the bed. He held out the first robe that Eren would be wearing underneath the outer one. "The council has a member whose granddaughter I was offered to bond with and I am sure he isn't going to take it lightly that I failed to turn his granddaughter down properly before choosing my mate. It's a matter of honor and integrity."

"Sounds complicated," Eren said as the Levi helped him fit the robe and tie it right.

"It is." Levi took the outer robe in his hands. "Look Eren, I have to warn you. The council meeting won't be a pleasant one to either of us. The ways of my clan are much like the ways of the whole vampire community and we have traditions, rules and expectations. They are certainly not expecting me to pop in front of them and announce a werewolf to be my mate. They won't see any sense in this even if I explain it to them. So whatever happens in there, whatever is being said, stay calm. Okay?" Levi spoke calmly. The last thing he needed was Eren to get angry or otherwise upset when they finally talked with the council.

"Okay," Eren nodded and Levi helped the outer robe on him.

"You look fantastic even if I say so myself," Levi said as he took a good look at his mate dressed in the traditional robes of his clan. Some of the old vampires such as the council members wore the same kind of robes.

"Thank you. Is this really okay for me to wear?" If what Levi had just said about his clan was true then Eren was worried if he would be disrespecting someone by wearing something of theirs.

"Of course it is. They are mine now since my father is gone and I can't think of any better user for them than you."

"That sounded almost like a compliment," Eren said in mock shock.

Levi licked his lips and was about to say something when he heard a very loud grumbling noise coming from Eren's stomach.

Eren laughed amused by the sound. "I'm hungry," he told Levi.

"Who would have thought," sarcasm colored Levi's voice. "I guess we pay a visit to Seamus before talking to my uncle."

"I thought Seamus was a gatekeeper?"

"Oh he is but he is also the groundskeeper which means he goes hunting for his pet dogs every once in a while so he is most likely to have some meat for you."

"Oh yes I forgot you people don't eat like normal people."

"I wouldn't call either of us normal."

"Speak for yourself blood sucker."

"Dog eared flasher," Levi snapped back.

Eren covered his mouth with his hand as laughter bubbled out of him.

"It's good to see you are feeling better," Levi commented smiling at his laughing mate. "Or should I say, it's good to_ feel_ you are feeling better."

"I'm sorry about the way I behaved yesterday," Eren sheepishly apologized. "I felt like I really needed the space."

"It's alright. I understand. If you feel like that again then just tell me and I can sleep in the next room or leave you alone completely for days without you seeing me at all."

"I doubt that will be necessary."

"I hope so. Now, let's get you something to eat," Levi said and they left on a little adventure to gain a meal made out of meat.

The first thing Eren noticed was the way other vampires first looked at him and then the way they looked at Levi. Overall everyone seemed disappointed. The looks on their faces spoke clearly about how little they thought of Levi and his companion. Eren was slightly confused. Wasn't Levi part of this clan? Eren hoped that any of the vampires they passed by on their way to see Seamus were not on the council that they were supposed to meet later. Eren didn't even bother asking what time they'd be talking to the council since time didn't seem to be of concern here.

So in conclusion Eren noted that Seamus and Kenny were the only vampires so far that had not treated Levi as if he was something unpleasant to be around. Seamus talked with Levi as if they were friends and Eren didn't doubt that because of the way Levi acted around the dogs and vice versa. Levi genuinely liked the beasts.

Seamus seemed just as intrigued by Eren as Kenny had. "What made you want to bond with Levi?"

Eren didn't know how to answer. "Can I tell him the truth?" he asked from Levi.

"Be my guest," Levi said shrugging.

"Levi saved my life," Eren said surprising his mate when he said nothing else.

"That is not the truth," Levi pointed out. The matter was much more complicated than that.

"It is now. So when can I eat?"

Seamus was amused by the young wolf brushing Levi off like it was nothing. "Times change," Seamus said to himself. "Come with me, Eren." He presented Eren with a feast of different kinds of meat to choose from. He had them preserved for his pets as he said that they deserved the best of the best. He had steaks of high quality and dried meat strips. "Choose whatever you like. I assure you they are all top notch."

"Thank you, sir."

Seamus looked at Levi with amusement dancing in his eyes. "To be called a sir is an honor I haven't been given in centuries."

"Did I say something funny?" Eren asked digging into his food while the two vampires shared the amusement between themselves.

"Not at all, young man," Seamus replied. Then he turned to Levi. "I take it that you have not spoken to the council yet?"

"No, we haven't. I need to schedule a meeting with them as soon as possible. They probably know that I'm here already." Levi was referring to the other vampires who they had seen. Someone of them most probably ran to tell someone in the council that he was back with a werewolf on his arm. They probably did not know the real reason why Eren was with him but they could suspect all they wanted until Levi and Eren had spoken to the council. "News travel like wildfire inside this house."

"Indeed. I am sure someone saw you coming through the back gate as well," Seamus commented as he sat opposite of Eren. "I am still curious of you, Eren."

"I'm sure you are," it was Levi who said it.

Seamus looked at Levi for a moment. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you are possessive. You must not have been bonded for long."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing?" Eren asked out of curiosity.

"No, no, young man. I am only-"

"That's enough chatter for one day," Levi cut him off.

Seamus smirked, leaning over the table to whisper to Eren, "Possessive for sure."

"We are leaving as soon as you are done eating," Levi informed Eren who was smiling at the older vampire.

"Of course," Eren answered Levi and munched on.

* * *

><p>"Before we enter," Levi stopped Eren in middle of the corridor leading to the council. He had set up the meeting earlier today after Eren had been done eating. "Whatever happens in there I need you to remember that I swore a blood oath to protect you and that will stop me from putting you into any danger. Do you understand?"<p>

Eren nodded. "Yes."

"Good because things might get rough from this point on."

Eren was a tad nervous when they entered the council chamber. Five vampires sat at a long table, facing the door. Levi had told him that these were the oldest of their clan as it was the way things were. If one of them died then the next one in line as one of the oldest would be chosen to have a seat in the council.

Eventually Levi would be sitting in the council as well but that was several hundred years to the future if the council did not exile him first.

"Levi Ackerman, you asked to see the council," a very old looking vampire spoke as if she was bored. "You may present your case."

Eren felt as if they were on trial for something rather than just announcing something to some family members. Eren did not understand how this system worked. What could they possibly do to Levi?

Levi went straight into business. "I'd like to present my mate, Eren Jaeger."

There was an audible gasp from someone and the look of horror passed on each of the council members' faces. Obviously Eren was not a good choice at all.

"You must be kidding," another council member said his voice full of disbelief. "The bond must be dissolved as soon as possible. I hope for your sake that you have not been bound to that creature for long!"

That confirmed Levi's fears that the council would not recognize his alliance with Eren at all. Heck, they did not recognize Eren as a viable mate in the first place. Levi kept his tongue at bay. He knew those words that came out of the other man's mouth would end up being mild compared what might be coming.

"You were presented with an outstanding mate who was willing to put aside the family honor and mate with you and then you go and do this? You must be crazier than we thought."

Levi could not deny that, although the outstanding part was biased since the council member was talking about his own granddaughter. What it came to being crazy, well someone had to be. "What I came here to tell you today is more important than my personal choices," Levi said trying to stay diplomatic.

"There's more?" asked one of the council members who had not spoken yet. "Pray tell."

Levi took that as queue to speak once again. "I was captured by humans," was all he had time to say before one of the council members snorted.

"Captured by humans? That is hard to believe."

Levi put that ignorant comment aside with a simple answer, "They had a perfect way to capture a vampire. I could not do anything to escape them. They starved me, did experiments on me as their goal was to find a way to kill a vampire effectively without having to capture them in the first place."

"Humans have always sought to eradicate our kind. This is nothing new. Their methods change but the outcome stays the same," the apparent leader of the council spoke with a level of arrogance that Eren had not seen anyone else possess before.

"Not this time I'm afraid. They tried to create some sort of vaccine, as they called it, to vaccinate all humans against vampires. Potentially any vampire that drinks blood from such a human would die."

"That is utter nonsense!" One of the male's exclaimed.

"I assure you, it is not. They tried the prototype of it on Eren and they purposely put him into the same cell as me so that I would drink from him which I did. The experience was not a pleasant one."

"I'd assume it is not," one of the male council members said as he eyed Eren with disdain clear on his face. It was clear that he thought that Eren's blood tasted bad. "This still does not explain why you are bonded to him in the first place?"

"In order to escape I needed my strength back. Only by bonding to Eren I could achieve that," Levi explained hoping that it would appease the council.

But it did not surprise him when one of them said, "You could have sucked him dry. Why on earth would you waste your life on this mortal beast?"

"The thought crossed my mind but as it was Eren who volunteered to feed me to give us a chance to escape I didn't see it as such an honorable thing to do."

"Killing that thing would have been better choice than being bound to it!"

Eren's anger became apparent through the bond. Levi did not like the way they spoke of Eren either but there was little he could do about it. "He is my mate I'd rather not-" Levi was cut off before he could finish.

"Does that imply that you are not going to dissolve the bond?"

Eren felt the smoldering anger that was ripping under Levi's skin. Eren wasn't surprised. The anger had been building up slowly but surely under the surface. Eren was proud that Levi had not lashed out when he himself would have if he had been in Levi's place. He let Levi handle this. There was clearly history between Levi and these vampires that Eren didn't know about.

Levi clenched his jaw. The council was determined to have him separate from Eren. "Yes. I swore an oath I intend to keep."

"What did you promise him? Eternal youth?" the vampire who stayed quiet for most part asked as if this was some sort of amusing game to him.

"I swore to protect him. I see it as a reasonable price for saving my life."

"Reasonable? There is nothing reasonable about binding yourself to a mixed blood creature such as him." The grandfather of Levi's intended mate seemed really angry with him. He seized every opportunity to ridicule Levi and Eren.

"I came to warn you about what the humans are planning. My bonding with Eren is just a consequence-"

"You are not the one who decides if it is a consequence or not. You came here to inform us of the bonding that was done outside our ancestral home, without our approval and without proper conduct. You have told us that you have no intention of dissolving the bond with the werewolf and yet you seek our blessing. Is what I said true?"

Levi didn't like it one bit that the council was brushing off the threat that the humans posed. They were more concerned about Levi's bond than their own possible demise in the future. "Yes. I wish to stay bonded to my mate." Levi considered telling them about the bite marks just for a second but he dismissed the thought.

"You do realize what that means, don't you?" the leader of the council asked. "You have condemned your bloodline to end with this bonding."

"Yes, I am aware of that."

"Then so be it. That is punishment enough for breaking several rules of our clan. You are free to stay here if you wish but I'd advice you to tread with cation. Some people might not be so _accepting_ of your mate," she spat the last word out of her mouth like it was poison.

"Thank you for your time," Levi said with a little bow before he turned and dragged Eren with him.

"How could you let them talk to you like that?" Eren asked as they walked briskly back to Levi's quarters.

"Because that is the law around here and I'd say that went surprisingly well."

"Really? I was insulted at every turn. They looked at me like I was not any better than the dirt under their boots!" Eren hissed. "That seems to be a trend around here." Eren had noticed how he got dirty looks from everyone they came across.

"That is why I think it is better if we don't stay here long," Levi said urgently. "But first I need to have a long discussion with my uncle. He will no doubt be a better listener than the people we just spoke to. I am not resting until someone knows of this threat of the humans. I cannot risk it turning out to be more than just a futile plan of theirs."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter 16**_

* * *

><p>"We need to talk," was the first thing Levi said as soon as he opened the door to his uncle's room.<p>

"Finally!" Kenny exclaimed jumping up from an armchair. He looked around for Eren. "Where's the little wolf boy of yours?"

"He's taking a bath."

"And you are not? I'm surprised!"

Levi sighed tiredly. "I'll take one after we are done talking."

"And miss the opportunity to fool around in the bathtub? I thought I taught you better." Kenny looked disappointed.

Levi rolled his eyes. His uncle had become increasingly perverted with old age. "Why don't you find yourself your own toy and leave mine alone?"

Kenny barked in laughter. "If you tell me every detail of your bonding with that cute fur ball, I just might."

"We have more pressing matters than what my bonding ritual entitled."

"Such as?"

"The council did not like to hear my warning about the humans that captured me in the first place. They did not take me seriously at all."

"Can you blame them? It's been a few centuries since we had any real problems with humans." Kenny made no comment on the being captured by humans part but he looked a surprised when he heard it.

"This time it might be a bit more than just a little problem. The humans are planning on killing every single one of us, slowly." The plan that organization had was not something they could execute in a hurry. This was clearly a sum of years of planning and probably years of executing as well.

"That is nothing new."

"That's what the council said too but I was part of an experiment where they tested a vaccine that could potentially kill any vampire that drinks blood that contains it." Not to mention the effects the failed product had caused. Levi was glad he was still alive. He might be able to prevent any further harm coming to anyone else.

"That does sound serious."

"It is. They didn't manage to kill me but I managed to kill the person responsible for making it. That should stall them for a while if not stop the whole process. Although I wouldn't count on it. Someone might pick up the idea and see if it pays off." Levi hoped it would not come to that, that the woman's death had been enough to stop the organization from going any further with their plan. "The implications of what this could mean are horrifying. The humans could cause a world wide chaos with their vaccine. Vampires as young as ten years old would need to be bonded together to survive the threat. You know as well as I do that young vampires simply cannot achieve that feat."

If the vampire society was forced to go to such lengths who knew how bad things would get. They would be watching their children die just because of them not understanding restraint and killing of their mates by sucking them dry! It was a small comfort that Levi would not have to see that happen to his own children.

Kenny was deep in thought for a few moments. "I will look into this. What can you tell me about these humans?"

Levi was happy to hear that. He had been counting on his uncle to take action. "They seem to have some sort of organization. I don't know what it is called but they are pretty well organized. They had us captive somewhere near the northern border and chased us all the way to Karanese, waiting for us at the train station!"

Kenny looked surprised as much as Levi had felt.

"They must have a very good chain of command if those goons knew to look for us in Karanese. When we escaped there was only a handful of people at the base and I killed almost all of them."

"Almost?"

"I took pity on one of the soldiers who was a complete coward."

"That might have been a mistake, Levi."

"I realize that now." He probably should have killed the innkeeper as well. He had a feeling that leaving her alive might cause some sort of trouble. He vowed to himself that from now on he wouldn't leave any witnesses alive.

* * *

><p>Eren was still lounging in the bathtub when Levi came back from his discussion with his uncle. "Care to join me?" Eren asked innocently, knowing that vampire had plans to take one himself after him. "The water's still warm," Eren pointed out.<p>

"I'll take you up on that offer if that's okay," Levi said tiredly and started stripping.

"Why are you asking that all the time? Just get your butt in here before the water goes cold."

"I never know with you if you are going to tell me to fuck off or run into my arms like a puppy."

Eren made a face at him. But as soon as Levi was ready to enter the bathtub he injected, "Face the same way I do." Eren pulled the vampire against his chest. They adjusted to sit comfortably, Levi resting his head on Eren's shoulder. "You know I have questions," Eren said. He had been thinking of a lot of things while sitting alone in the warm water.

"Shoot." Levi was not surprised that Eren wanted to know things.

"The council brought up the matter of dissolving the bond. I am just surprised you did not discuss it with me at all."

Was Eren accusing him of something? "I did not bring it up because I do not want to break the bond."

"And my opinion does not count?"

"That is not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean? Just because you don't want to do it doesn't mean I feel the same."

"Breaking the bond has to be voluntary on both sides and since I already know I will not do it, it is not even worth of discussion."

How could Levi be so harsh? Eren didn't see a way to even open it for discussion as the vampire had made up his mind. "What I don't understand is that you have not even considered what it would have meant to me if I had known it could be broken."

"Only within the first few days it's possible to dissolve a blood bond. We have gone beyond that threshold already."

"How do you know? We could still try!" When Eren exclaimed his words Levi sat up, turning to look at him.

"You don't understand that you could die, Eren," Levi said with dead serious tone. "You are not a vampire. Breaking the bond would most definitely mean you die because you don't have the ability to heal via consuming someone else's blood to overwrite the blood magic seeped into your blood." Levi's words got heated and he pressed on, "Besides we are bound by our bite marks as well. I cannot even start to guess what it would mean if you die on me because of dissolving the blood bond between us."

"You wouldn't die," Eren said quietly. Eren had never known anyone to go back on their mating so he didn't really know but both his father and mother had warned him that mating was to be taken seriously. Eren didn't know if their mating could be reversed but it didn't matter in the end.

"I won't risk your life for something selfish as my own freedom. I've already lost everything that I value and you ask me to go against the oath I swore to just see you die as a result. I will not do that. You are all I have did I want it or not."

_Woah, what a way to make me feel like I was important_, was Eren's sarcastic thought. Eren did not voice the thought, though. He could hardly blame Levi. He was just as much in this mess as Levi was.

"Let's not fight about this. What's done is done," Levi tried to alleviate the tension between them.

Eren sighed. "Yeah," he remarked knowing what Levi said was true. Eren was not exactly ready to die yet. He tugged Levi back into his arms. The vampire relaxed against is chest once again.

"Anything else you want to ask about?"

"I don't know if I should." Eren had some things on his mind but the way they already lapsed into a minor argument.

"Go on, what could be worse than me trying to keep you alive."

"I want to know more of this clan of yours. Why do they treat you like you were some sot of pest or something?"

Levi chuckled at that. Eren had managed to hit the nail right in the middle. "That is a long story and I think the water might get cold before I finish it."

"Shorten it then?"

"Where to start?" Levi mused out loud. "Well my clan consists of a main family that has been bonded into from outside because of political reasons more than anything. My mother was a descendant of the main family but my father came from a much minor clan that has no power inside the society. The council and the clan did not like it that my mother chose to bond with a man she fell in love with rather than choosing someone from the other powerful clans. Our clan lacks power to be really significant and that is the main reason why they shun me. They past on the sins of my parents onto me and expected me to bring honor back into my family and to my clan."

"But you were supposed to mate someone inside the clan?"

"Yes. Inbreeding is not uncommon and she would have been far enough from my bloodline to cause any trouble. It is to strengthen the bloodline so the clan seizes all the possibilities to bond people inside the clan together."

"That sounds a bit disgusting if I may say so."

"I know. That was one of the reasons why I was against to bonding with her in the first place." Levi also had wanted to find someone he could relate to. The person who they had wanted him to mate, although beautiful, nice and sincere in her offer, was not someone who shared a lot in common with Levi. She was too young to have seen the things he had or even experienced something he thought were somewhat normal. She had not been a right choice for him at all. Life with her would have been safe, for sure, but she seemed too innocent for him.

"What about your uncle?" Eren's question seemed to bring the vampire out of his thoughts.

"His mate died long time ago," Levi said and he still remembered vaguely the time it had happened. His uncle had been heart broken for several years, not talking to anyone, not wanting to leave his room. It had taken a long time for Kenny to get over the love of his life or at least get on with his life. Suddenly the older vampire had come back to life, bought a coffin to sleep in and started going out in the world doing god knows what. The whole clan had dubbed him mad.

"Oh, so he can't have a new one?"

"No, he wouldn't be able to bind himself to anyone anymore. He could have a mistress if he wanted to."

"So your bloodline might not be dead after all?" Eren sounded hopeful.

"Any children he'd had with someone than his mate would not be considered heirs. If you wish to know more about the clan, you should ask him."

"Ah." It all seemed too complicated in Eren's opinion. His pack would never abandon a child or disown them just because of their questionable heritage. If someone had a child, the pack would take care of it, no questions asked. Although Eren suspected that his father knew more than anyone else in the pack.

"That explains why the council told me that I was damned to be with you. They wouldn't allow me to have a mistress, thus my bloodline ends."

"I wouldn't allow you to have one!" Eren said with haste as jealousy flashed through him. "I'm sorry I don't know what came over me," he quickly apologized.

"You could have one if you'd like," Levi suggested.

"What? A mistress?"

"Your bloodline does not need to end here Eren. I'm not that selfish. If you wish to have children then you have my permission to find someone you would want to have them with."

"But that's cheating?"

"Is it when I give you the right to do so?"

"I wouldn't do it even if you did."

"That might seem very noble of you but with time you will come to notice that it isn't such a bad idea."

Eren brushed the idea aside. He could not even think about sleeping with someone else now that he was mated to Levi. What kind of person would he be if he went back on his promise to be with Levi. Even though he had not necessarily worded it out loud to the vampire, he still intended to keep the promise he had made to himself at least. He was loyal when it came to his relationships with his friends and Levi was more than just a friend now. He was Eren's mate and it went without saying that he would not betray him in anyway or himself for that matter.

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I'm sure you are eager to go home, aren't you?"

"I think we should stay here for a while in case those lunatics are looking for us."

"Indeed. That didn't cross my mind yet. If they knew to look for us in Karanese then there is no doubt they are lurking around the place you were captured as well."

Eren nodded and hummed in agreement, "Mhm. How long do you reckon we have to stay here until it is safe?"

Levi shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe a week or so." That should give enough time for the evil people to get the message. "We can stay until you feel safe."

"This reminds me," Eren started. "You never told me how you got caught in the first place."

"It is a humiliating story which I do not wish to repeat to another soul ever."

Eren laughed. "You were intoxicated, weren't you?"

"Tch."

Eren chuckled at Levi's discomfort about the subject. "How did you get intoxicated if you only drink blood?"

"The woman was heavily drunk and who knows what else she had taken. It was a stupid mistake. I should have known better." He had not been in a good shape to fight his captures. It had been humiliating indeed.

"Yes, you should have," Eren replied gently. "But now you won't have to worry about that ever again." Eren kissed Levi on the cheek.

"Are you getting emotional on me?" Levi asked because that was what it sounded and felt like. "You are a mess," he huffed at the werewolf. "What is wrong with you?"

"God I wish I knew," Eren said sighing as he was getting irritated by his own wavy emotions.

"I don't mind," Levi told him. "That you go all mushy on me and that but I am concerned for your well-being when you get angry because I don't know what it is that sets you off."

"I'll try to remember next time I lose my temper."

"Well it would be better if you screamed at me what the problem really is than just bark like a dog."

"What did I say about calling me a dog," Eren growled softly.

"I didn't! I just said you bark like one. There's a difference."

"Wolves don't bark," Eren pointed out.

"Howl then."

Eren rolled his eyes. "I'll show you a howl," he teased the vampire wrapping his arms around him tightly as he buried his face into his neck and nibbled at the skin there.

"No, no, not in the tub!"

"I didn't do anything!"

"But you thought about it I'm sure."

"Thought about what?" Eren asked innocently.

"Your are one weird werewolf."

"You've never met anyone but me!"

"How would you know that?"

"It's obvious by the way you act around me. You don't know the first thing about werewolves."

"I could say the same for you." Levi clearly huffed. "The water's getting cold. We better wash up." The banter was over like that.

Eren could see how Levi loved to wash in the bathroom which was luxurious when it came to different soaps and items that one could use for cleaning themselves. Everything was placed orderly around the room. Eren watched with fascination how Levi knew what was where and introduced him to some of the soaps that did not have too strong smell, taking into consideration that Eren had more sensitive nose than he had.

"I feel fresh like a grass field after the rain!" Eren exclaimed as he walked out of the bathroom.

"Hey! Put a towel on or something. My uncle might walk in at any second!" Levi called after him and threw a towel after the werewolf.

Eren picked up the towel, wrapping it around his waist as instructed. Levi's uncle had barged in last time without knocking so he took the threat seriously. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind!" Eren said in a sing song voice as Levi came out of the bathroom as well.

"That's it. You put clothes on at this instant," Levi said as he started to rush towards the wardrobe where he had stored some additional robes for Eren to wear.

Eren was reminded about how Seamus had said something about possessiveness that Levi seemed to have. To Eren Levi seemed more jealous than anything. "Wait, wait," he rushed after his mate, capturing hold of his arms effectively stopping him before Levi had time to open the doors to his wardrobe. "I take it back."

Levi turned quickly to look at Eren. "You really like to be naked, don't you?"

"I thought that was obvious by now."

"I don't mind but I do not want anyone else looking at your naked form if I can help it."

"It's cute that you're jealous."

"Cute? You think it is cute to have you traipsing around here butt naked for everyone to ogle at?"

"No one is going to see me if I stay in this room," Eren argued back.

"You think you will be able to stay inside here for a whole week or two? Not a chance. I know you'll be whining to go for a run in the fields outside sooner or later."

"I can always transform here before we go."

Eren was putting up a good case and Levi couldn't really argue with that last statement. "Do as you wish but I'm getting a lock for the door."

"Are you going to imprison me?"

"No. We get a lock on this side of the door to prevent anyone getting in."

Eren was silent for a moment then he said, "Now I'm having those thoughts you accused me of earlier."

Levi sighed and let his head drop backwards.

"What? Am I that bad?"

"No. Not at all."

Eren raised his hands to either side of Levi's head. "Then what would you do if I kissed you right now?"

"I'd take you to bed."

"So I'm not the only one with that kind of thoughts," Eren's voice got softer.

"I get a sense of what you feel. You know that," Levi's tone matched Eren's as they gazed at each other.

Eren licked his lips. "I don't know where this is coming from," he said.

Levi didn't need to ask what Eren was talking about. He felt it. The desire building up inside Eren as the werewolf just merely looked at him. "It has to have something to do with the bond," Levi suggested as he let the incoming emotions wash over him.

"I can't control it," Eren said, his eyes flickering to Levi's lips. "It's like a... I suddenly realize that I really need you and must have you at this very instant."

Eren's eyes were getting clouded and the werewolf shifted a bit closer to Levi. His lips hovering over Levi's mouth, not yet claiming it.

"What's stopping you?" Levi asked as he wrapped his arms around Eren's waist.

Eren didn't need any more encouraging as he let his tongue travel across Levi's lips before he kissed him.

Levi let the werewolf do as he pleased as it seemed that Eren needed to get something out of his system as soon as possible.

Somehow they stumbled to the bed, Eren doing most of the tugging and stumbling.

"We better get under the covers just in case my uncle pays us a surprise visit," Levi said as soon as Eren's mouth moved away from his and attacked his neck.

"That is the best idea I've heard in a while," Eren said as he threw his own towel to the floor.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17**_

* * *

><p>"How do you suppose we are going to spend the week?" Eren asked lazily.<p>

"Like this?" Levi suggested at the werewolf who was draped over his form.

Eren chuckled. "We can't spend a week in bed." He was still feeling the euphoria after their activities.

"Oh yes we can."

"What would your uncle think?" Eren had a feeling that the older vampire might barge in at any moment as he had before. He sincerely hoped that Levi had been serious about getting a lock for the door.

"Why does his opinion count in what I do with you?" In Levi's opinion Eren was thinking too much about his uncle when he should have been thinking solely about him.

Eren shrugged. "I don't know but he might say a thing or two."

"There is nothing he can say about the way I treat my own mate," Levi practically purred, running his hands on Eren's body.

For the moment they were like regular lovers. Levi hoped that it would last between them that Eren would not grow tired of him. But Eren was young and bound to want to try new things. Things were new between them and Levi had a feeling that eventually Eren might want something else from their relationship which me might not be able to give him.

"I might have something to say about it though," Eren giggled back.

The way Eren giggled had nothing to do with the subject, Levi knew this much. Eren shivered when his hands ran along his sides. "I didn't know you were ticklish."

"I'm not!" Eren tried to protect himself but the devilish smirk that crossed Levi's face did not bode well for him.

The way Eren smiled made Levi wish that their life could be this easy going every day. If only they were finally safe from anyone that could cause them any harm. He had Eren now and he was scared to think what it actually meant. Would he be able to protect Eren from all the horrors that could possibly wait them if that god damn organization made any further progress in their war against the "monsters" as they would have called them.

Instead of tickling the werewolf mercilessly the vampire buried his face into Eren's neck and hold on to him. Levi didn't want to loose Eren and the thought alone scared him. He had known the werewolf for such a short amount of time but Eren was everywhere and everything. It was truly frightening how easily the werewolf swayed his will and emotions. Eren was his weakness at this moment and to make himself feel strong again Levi would need to learn how to fight against the impulses he got from Eren as a feedback.

It was hard to tell the difference between his own feelings and Eren's influence.

"Is something wrong?" Eren asked. The sudden change in Levi's demeanor made him wonder.

"No."

"You are lying."

Levi just chuckled at the young wolf. Eren would have to be a fool not to notice it.

"I can tell," Eren pressed on.

"Of course you can," Levi's reply was nonchalant.

"I don't want you to lie to me." Eren meant it too. He could deal with a lot of things but if Levi started to lie to him then how could he trust him, his own mate?

"Nothing is wrong. I'm just thinking." Levi tried to brush Eren's curiosity off.

"Well, don't."

"Is that the best you can come up with?" Levi asked, finally pulling away from Eren with a smirk on his face.

Eren pouted.

Levi ran a finger down the side of Eren's face. "You don't know what happens when I don't think."

"I think I do," Eren jabbed at Levi, completely ignoring the insinuating tone of Levi's. "You are not as enigmatic as you think mister vampire."

"Ooh? You have me all figured out, don't you?"

Eren licked his lips. "I just think that you try to hide things from me and assume that I do not notice them at all."

Levi hummed in agreement at first but then he retorted, "I do not share every thought I have with you. That would be utterly stupid."

"I didn't say you have to. I just don't want you to keep anything important from me."

"I haven't," Levi felt a tinge of guilt as he remembered the innkeeper and how he had bend the truth about what he had done to her.

Eren narrowed his eyes. "Then why are you feeling... guilty?"

Levi came to a halt. He had already made a mistake when he had let his guard down in front of Eren. "You and your soul searching. Stop it," Levi hissed not knowing any other way to respond. "Get off my case!" Levi more or less panicked. If he was this easy to read then how would he be able to keep things to himself from now on? Things had gotten even worse than what they had been when they were freshly bonded. Everything had become so much heavier since then.

Levi had gotten angry out of nowhere. Eren had obviously hit some kind of nerve.

"I want to know what you have lied about," Eren pressed on as Levi's discomfort became more and more plain to see.

"Nothing you should concern yourself about," the vampire said harshly as he escaped from the bed and started to yank on some clothes.

Eren was dumbfounded and getting angry himself. "Honestly, you cannot keep things from me and expect me to be happy about it!" Eren started to imagine all sorts of horrible things that Levi could have left out. Eren had not been with him every moment since they bonded. Who knew what Levi did the moment Eren was not looking.

"I'm not expecting you to find out in the first place!" Levi argued back. Happiness had nothing to do with it.

"So it is just fine for you to keep me in the dark?" Eren could not understand what kind of moral the vampire had?

"Yes! It is for your own good." Why couldn't Eren see that? Levi's patience was wearing thin.

"Am I not the one to decide what is best for me?"

"Look, whatever I have done is for the best believe me."

"How can I believe you when you outright lie to my face!"

"When have I lied, hmm?" Levi asked as he was finally done with dressing himself.

"You wouldn't be feeling guilty if you hadn't!"

"I have done nothing wrong." Levi truly believed so. He had done what was necessary. He had no plans on telling Eren everything he had done or planned to do, not now, not ever.

"This isn't about right and wrong. This is about trust," Eren growled. He had had it. The vampire was too stubborn to see his point of view.

Levi was fuming. The situation escalated out of hand before he had even noticed it. "The god damn bond. I hate this," he hissed out loud. It didn't help that they were feeding off on each others anger like this.

"Yeah, go and blame the bond. It didn't make you lie in the first place, did it?" Eren snapped.

"As a matter of fact it might have." Levi glared at the werewolf. "You don't understand what it means to be bound by an oath, do you?"

"How could I? I'm too young to know anything, right?"

Eren sounded so pissed off that Levi decided it was time to stop.

"I'm going for a walk," he informed the werewolf and stalk out of the door.

Eren was left alone to huff in anger. What was wrong with that blood sucker? All he asked was for little honesty and in return he got lies and excuses. It made Eren regret that he hadn't pushed for an oath of honesty when they had bonded. Because obviously the vampire could not keep his word.

Several minutes later there was a knock on the door.

"Go away!" Eren barked out, thinking it was Levi.

"Aaaw, don't be like that cutie pie. Can I come in?"

It was Kenny by the sound of it. Eren sighed. "Just a minute!" he called out as he looked for something to wear. He wrapped himself in Levi's bathrobe since putting the robes he had gotten would take too long. He opened the door for the older vampire.

"I saw Levi stomping out. Is everything alright?" Kenny asked out of concern that something might not be right between his nephew and his mate.

"We had a fight."

Kenny chuckled. "I couldn't help hearing it. I didn't hear what it was about but you two got rather loud." Kenny had been in the lounge reading when he had heard the commotion coming from Levi's room.

"He got mad about me accusing him of lying," Eren confessed.

"Anyone would get angry about that," Kenny reasoned.

"But he admitted to it!" Eren exclaimed.

"Let me guess, he said that it was for your own good," Kenny said.

"How did you know?"

"That is the way he thinks and from what he told me, your bond was swore upon an oath that could justify him lying to you and vice versa if needed." Kenny had personal experience from bonds after all.

"But he should not have to lie in the first place."

"Eren, you don't seem to understand that the bond is stronger than your own will. It controls you and that is the reason why it must be taken very seriously. It is one of the reasons why every bonding is performed in front of the clan so that anyone can step in if the oath is not something it is supposed to be," Kenny explained in a calm voice. "Which is why the council does not recognize your bonding as a valid one. They cannot know for certain if the oath is what you tell them it to be and also they cannot be sure that it was done willingly or with pure intentions."

Eren mulled the information over in his head. He clearly did not know anything about the subject when he thought he had. At least werewolves had it easy. They only made a pact of loyalty with their mate. It went without saying. Maybe Eren should mention something about it to Levi, though. The vampire might be too dunce to realize it!

"Don't worry about Levi. He will come back once his head cools down," Kenny assured him. "In the mean time there is something I want to show you."

If Eren had tried to guess what it was that Kenny wanted to show him, he would have never come up with the answer that turned out to be his coffin.

"Such a beauty, isn't it?" Kenny asked him as he showed off his really expensive looking coffin that he had upon some sort of pedestal, displayed like a grand jewel.

"I guess so," Eren said as he had never seen such a coffin before. He had never even seen one this close.

"I've tinkered with it myself. It has a spring mechanism that opens the lid automatically when I am inside. It is a good way to give people a fright." Kenny was obviously proud of his coffin and it's features. "Do you wanna try it? I assure you it is very comfortable from the inside."

"Umm.." Somehow the prospect of going into a coffin was not appealing one to Eren.

"It's quite safe, nothing to worry about." The look on Kenny's face looked convincing enough for Eren and he climbed into the coffin via small ladder that Kenny had by it. "Watch your step," Kenny urged Eren to be careful.

Once Eren was lying in the coffin he asked, "Comfortable?"

"Yes, it actually is a lot nicer than I thought."

"Good. You can try out the lid opening mechanism. There is a small handle here," Kenny showed him where Eren could get the automatic opening system to work. "I'm closing the lid. Enjoy your stay!" he told Eren happily.

Eren noted that there was a faint scent of lavender in the air inside the coffin. He suspected that Kenny probably liked to use some scent products to keep it smelling nice. He didn't find the darkness of the coffin as suffocating as he thought he would. It felt rather comforting to be surrounded in soft bedding and complete darkness.

Eren was about to open the lid the way Kenny had instructed by when he heard a thumb against the lid and Kenny's loud cheerful voice calling out, "Levi! What brings you here, my boy?"

Eren stayed put, listening to the conversation between the two male vampires intently.

"I've already failed as a mate," Levi said words that Eren had not thought he would hear the vampire ever say.

"How's so? You had a small spat, right? I couldn't help but hear," Kenny explained while leaning against the coffin lid.

"There is more than that to come I'm sure. Eren and I are too different."

"You could say you are from two different worlds, eh?" Kenny's attempt in a joke was poorly received as Levi scowled at him.

"It is not even funny. He won't even try to understand my side of things."

"Have you tried to do the same?" Kenny asked seriously. "You know, he might not know our ways but he will learn if he is willing to. You should do the same. He might expect you to take interest in his way of doing things as you do expect him to."

Eren heard Levi sigh loudly.

Levi plopped to sit down on an armchair. "If I had known I would be so out of sync with myself I..." Levi trailed off knowing that what he was about to say was not going to be the truth. He would have bonded with Eren anyway because of the circumstances.

So far Eren was surprised to hear his mate talk with his uncle clearly letting his guard down. The familiarity that the two shared made Eren hope he would be able to speak with Levi like that one day.

"It is to be expected. If I had known you would be even considering to bond with someone I might have prepared you for it but since the situation is what it is there is little I could do about it," Kenny said to his nephew. "But if it makes you feel any better I can tell you that it will get a lot easier as time passes. Your bond will stretch, so to speak. You can be farther and farther away from each other and the emotional feedback will lessen. You should be able to block it almost completely in couple of years. It takes patience and what is couple of years in a vampire's life?"

Levi cursed under his breath. Did he really have to wait years to feel normal again? How on earth would he survive this?

"Don't look so horrified, my dear boy," Kenny said. "If you had mated because of love or some other important reason then I am sure you would be able to cope."

"I did have an important reason. I had to get out of that hell hole."

"But you did not think it through. You did not spend months, even years, thinking if you should pick Eren or not. From what I gather you had mere days to think about it."

Levi stayed silent. He felt like a child being scolded by his parent. He knew that Kenny was not scolding him as his tone did not indicate such thing. He liked his uncle because they were similar in some ways. He could always trust Kenny to try and help him.

"You need to give it time. You are bound to him now and there is nothing you can do about it. Only way to be rid of the feeling altogether is to get rid of Eren but I assure you, the feeling that follows after Eren dies is nothing compared to what you feel right now," Kenny's tone got grave. He didn't need to tell Levi that he meant every word he said.

Levi remembered the depression his uncle had went through when his mate died clearly enough. "I know. I am not considering anything like killing Eren. My oath prevents me from doing so anyway."

"Which is what you should concentrate on. You promised to protect him, then do so. But I do advice you to build a real relationship with Eren. You don't have to love him or anything but treat him with respect and your life gets a whole lot easier," Kenny advised Levi with sincere words.

"I should apologize to him."

"Indeed you should. He did not take it very well that you lied to him."

Levi looked confused. "How did you know that I lied to him?"

Eren saw this as a queue for him to reveal himself. He tapped on the lid of the coffin for Kenny to let him out.

"Eren?" Levi asked surprised when his uncle let the werewolf open the lid of the coffin.

"Your coffin is wonderful," Eren commented to Kenny as he climbed out of it. "We need to talk," he said to his mate, dragging the dumbfounded vampire out of his uncle's room.

"Why were you in my uncle's coffin in nothing but a bathrobe?" Was the first Levi asked as he was dragged back into their own room.

"Is that really what you should be worrying about?" Eren retorted as they entered the room. He closed the door behind them quickly.

"I thought my jealousy was cute?"

Eren growled, pushing the vampire against the door. "Let me make one thing clear. I am fully capable of thinking for myself and I do not need you to pamper me."

Levi almost said that it was two things than one but he had a feeling that Eren would not appreciate his comment. "I'm sorry. I have lied to you but only once," Levi admitted. "I did do something to the innkeeper even though I said I had not seen her."

Eren looked shocked. "You killed her, didn't you?"

"God, no!" Levi hastily exclaimed. "I only knocked her out in a manner of speaking. I swear that is the only thing that I've lied about."

"It better be!"

Levi could swear he heard the silent 'or else' that Eren probably wanted to add to his threat. The feral look in Eren's eyes was enough to convince him of it. "I said I was sorry," Levi tried with a soft tone to appease Eren to stop glaring at him.

Eren huffed, marching off. He took a few deep breaths before he turned back to face the vampire. "I am sorry too for attacking you about it," Eren said trying to cam down. For him it was not as easy as for Levi. He could try and act like an adult.

"It is pretty clear who is to blame here."

"No it is not," Eren bit back. "You said it was the bond and what your uncle said about it convinced me." The bond was tugging them around like they were puppets on strings, messing everything up.

"Our reactions get out of hand. We read too much into each others emotions and draw conclusions," Levi suggested as he had given it some thought when he took his brief walk.

"Yeah," Eren agreed. "Although I did discover your lies-"

"Don't start the argument again, Eren," Levi cut him off.

Eren sighed, hanging his head. "God. I need a break from this."

"Me too, buddy," Levi said.

Finally they could fully agree on something.

"Are you hungry or something?" Levi asked after a moment of silence.

"No," Eren's answered tightly.

Levi didn't know how to fix this. He had never had any sort of relationship that actually required him to keep his partner for longer than a few weeks by his side. This was not starting out so well and he had possibly hundreds of years with Eren, who knew.

So Levi decided to open up a bit about how he thought. "I do things in my own way and I am not looking for your acceptance. I'm not going to ask you if my decisions are the right ones. I am sorry if what I did hurt you but I am bound to do it again and I want you to understand that I am not trying to hurt you in any way with whatever I decide to do."

Eren could not argue with that, understanding what Levi said. "Yes, I know. I swore the same oath as you did. My way of looking at it is just different one. I expected honesty in all things and at all times."

"I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Maybe it is better that I know I can't trust you as much as I thought." He had been naïve to think that Levi would be truthful to him just because they were mated.

Levi agreed with Eren. "Life is cruel and so is the world. You should never put your trust on someone else completely."

"That sounds too a pessimistic way to look at things. Wouldn't complete trust mean that we would have nothing to worry about from each other? We'd never doubt each other? I'd know that you'd be there for me, you'd be by my side no matter what happens."

"And I will be."

"No, you said you'd lie to me if the situation called for it. That is not what I want at all. I want facts as they are."

"I see you finally understand what I meant. I am not comfortable with all out honesty. Things could go from bad to worse if I tell you everything that you wanted to know. Secrecy is something I've learned to live with and I find it odd that you don't grasp that. I'm sure you know what it is to hide your true nature from humans." Humans were not the only thing he had learned to hide from. He had locked his heart away long time ago to prevent anyone ever causing him heart ache.

"It is something we have in common," Eren injected. "But that doesn't mean we have to lie to each other."

"Maybe not but I like to take no chances."

"I'm telling you that you have to take one with me because I will accept nothing else."

Levi wasn't sure if he should yield to Eren's demands. He liked to keep things to himself and now Eren was asking him to share things that he would not tell anyone else, keeping his mouth shut, observing the situation further before taking action. "You are asking me to go against my nature," he told Eren.

"So are you."

They stared at each other for a long moment until Levi broke the eye contact. "We are at a stalemate. Why don't we think about this for a few days? Give it some more thought?"

Eren shrugged. "Okay," he said quietly. To be honest, Eren was disappointed.

Levi could feel that and to his surprise it hurt. He hadn't realized that Eren's opinion of him would matter that much. Even if he was content enough to be with Eren, to protect the young wolf, he had never thought he would really care for the brat at all. But as it turned out, he was starting to.


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18**_

* * *

><p>Levi felt as if he had returned to the square one. Eren was keeping his distance once again and for the next couple of days the werewolf hardly spoke to him. Eren spend his time conversing with Kenny a lot which was fine by Levi.<p>

So while Eren was not paying attention to him, Levi made trips to see Seamus and the dogs. He always brought something for Eren to eat on his way back. It was rather calming to play with the dogs than look at Eren's turned back and wonder if he should say something.

When Eren laid beside him, back turned away, trying to catch sleep, Levi ran his hand across his shoulder blades but he got no reaction whatsoever.

It was torturous to get all sorts of signals from Eren but not know what they meant. What was Eren thinking about when he felt sad or when he was happy?

Their silence did give Levi was perspective to the issue. He could not possibly know what was going through Eren's mind. Sometimes the emotions that showed on his face didn't reflect what Levi sensed from him.

Levi did understand Eren's need for honesty now better than before but for him it would mean opening up. He would have to trust Eren fully. That seemed more like a mistake than anything else. Almost like a luxury he couldn't have. Living with his clan had taught him not to place his trust in anyone unless you were absolutely sure they were on your side. Levi trusted his uncle to an extend but what Eren was asking went even beyond that.

But then again Eren had come through several times already, saving both of their lives and keeping Levi out of harms way. The werewolf did not seem to even think about it much, just doing what he thought was right. Maybe Levi could appreciate the young wolf a bit more. He was by no means taking it for granted. Levi did not expect Eren to do anything for him.

* * *

><p>"Any progress?" Kenny asked from the unhappy werewolf who was currently curled up on one of his armchairs.<p>

"He hasn't said a word." Eren was not happy with how long it took for Levi to make his decision. Eren felt as if he was not worthy of Levi's trust. There was no way he could betray the vampire but Levi didn't know that or was too wrapped up in his own shit to notice. First it made Eren angry, then he got sad as he thought about it and what implications it would have. They would be divided by mistrust for who knows how long if they ever gained each others trust at all.

Eren just wanted Levi to give it a chance! He wanted Levi to place some trust in him and see how it went. It was not like Eren was asking him to blindfold himself and trust Eren not to shove him off a cliff. Eren wanted to be in the loop of things. He wanted to know what Levi thought was the best course of action, what he did when Eren wasn't around. If he increased the body count of his or not. Eren wanted to know exactly what kind of mate he had.

"He will talk when he is ready to talk," Kenny said trying to share his wisdom with Eren.

"That could take years!" who knew how long the vampire mulled things over in his head.

Kenny chuckled. "Maybe so but I am sure in this case he will say something soon enough."

"He's completely blowing this out of proportion."

"Eren," Kenny began as he lowered a book he had been skimming through. "Trust is not something we take for granted in our clan. Trusting someone could be very, very dangerous thing to do."

"But you can't get anywhere without trust," Eren argued.

"No but maybe you are asking a bit too much from him. He likes to keep his cards hidden until he is certain he has the perfect opportunity to win the game. Besides he is not one to give into demands that he sees as unreasonable. You might not win this fight, Eren."

The werewolf sighed. "You might be right."

"I know I'm right. I've known him since the day he was born. That little brat has grown up to be a man before I even realized it."

Eren found it odd but then again who knew how time perception was for vampires. Then a thought occurred to Eren. "Do you remember his birth?"

"Of course I do! I will never forget the day for as long as I live. Joshua was making such a fuss, driving Catherine mad. She broke his fingers during labor to get back at him."

Eren smiled at the story. "What was Levi like when growing up?"

"Oh the rascal got into every imaginable trouble you can in this house!" Kenny exclaimed with enthusiasm. "He got hold of a pair of scissors and cut holes into one of the council members robes. You can imagine that he was scolded after that but it was worth it to see them turn up in ruined clothes until someone pointed it out."

"And then more than once he caused his parents to worry when he went to play with the dogs that Seamus had and fell asleep in the dog house. It was a hassle to get him out of there before the sun would burn him to a crisp," Kenny said chuckling. "Levi also had a bad habit of going on opening the curtains just before sun rise. That is one of the reasons why I got myself a coffin to sleep in. He thought it was funny."

Eren grimaced. He doubted that Levi thought like that now when he had been burned by the sun himself. "You saw the scars they left on Levi?" Eren asked sadly as he thought that Levi might have tried to hide it from his uncle.

Kenny shared the sadness Eren felt. "Yes. I cannot imagine how it must have felt to be tortured like that. I am so happy he is home safely now."

Eren nodded agreeing with the thought. When he had first met Levi, the vampire had seem out of his mind. Levi became less scary each day but back then he had seemed truly frightening for a moment.

"He was gone for months. I was starting to fear for the worst. He has been gone before but only up to a month at a time. He did that more when he was younger so when he disappeared five or six months ago I didn't think much of it until time went by and he didn't return. I tried to find him but no one had seen him or heard anything." The look on Kenny's face matched his tone that was filled with the worry that he had felt for his nephew. "If I could decide I would not let him leave for the next year or so! But since that is not my decision to make anymore. It's up to you, Eren, to take care of him in my stead now."

"But he is so stubborn!" Eren exclaimed in frustration.

Kenny barked out a laugh at the werewolf who had so easily broken any tension there might have been in the atmosphere. "That is something you need to learn to live with I'm afraid. He gets it from his mother. Catherine was stubborn as a mule. She would never do something someone else told her to do. That is why she chose to mate someone she loved rather than go with the what the clan wanted."

Eren wanted to ask how Levi's parents had died but asking it from Kenny didn't seem right. He wanted to hear it from Levi himself.

* * *

><p>Eren found Levi inside his room, nose buried in a book while he himself was buried in a cocoon of blankets. "What on earth happened to you?" Eren asked as he noticed that Levi's hair was wet, his cheeks slightly red.<p>

"Poochie pushed me into the pond."

"Poochie?"

"The other dog Seamus has."

"That big ugly thing is called Poochie?" Eren asked in disbelief.

"Hey! Don't judge the book by its cover. Poochie is a nice dog," Levi defended the dog that looked anything but nice.

"Yeah seems so," Eren said and he couldn't help but smile at the vampire huddling in blankets.

"Shut up," Levi snapped tiredly. "The water was freezing."

Eren did not take his anger seriously as there had been a smile tugging at the corner of Levi's lips every once in a while during their conversation. "Did you take a bath?" Eren asked wanting to make sure that Levi was not going to catch some petty sickness like a common cold.

"Yes," Levi answered and Eren could almost swear he heard him sniffle too.

"Do you want to take another one? Or is there something else you need?"

"You don't need to worry about me."

"Of course I do when you let your precious Poochie push you into ponds. Who knows if it buries you alive next time."

"Haha, very funny," Levi didn't sound amused at all.

Eren sighed, crossing the distance between them. He ran his fingers through Levi's hair. "Come on. I'll make sure you don't catch a cold."

"That is not even possible." Vampires did not catch colds.

"Oh? But don't you want to be warm?" Eren massaged Levi's scalp gently. "I'll draw us a hot bath," he tried to persuade the vampire who was obviously shivering, still feeling cold. "I'll wash your hair," Eren suggested as his last resort.

"Alright, alright," the vampire finally agreed.

"It will take just a moment." Eren disappeared into the bathroom to draw a bath.

Levi had to admit that agreeing had been the best decision he had made the whole week when he let Eren wash his hair. "You have the golden touch," he told the werewolf who was massaging his scalp in small circular motions.

"Thank you," Eren replied, finding it funny how content the vampire was just from a simple hair washing.

Levi was completely relaxed under Eren's touch. "No, I should be the one thanking you. This feels amazing."

Eren went a bit beyond hair washing as he continued his massage down Levi's neck, eventually to his shoulders. He avoided the bite mark and took the opportunity to say what he wanted to say to his mate, "I realize I have been too demanding. You can forget what I asked from you."

"What?"

"I said you can forget it." Eren continued to massage as if he had not just promised to forget the whole thing. If Levi was incapable of staying truthful to him then he would have to accept that.

"Mmmh. I don't think so."

It was Eren's turn to ask, "What?"

"You want honesty?" Levi asked, sounding more awake than just a minute before. "I think you are making a mountain out of a molehill."

"You are my mate. I expect you to be worth of my trust," Eren said not wanting to argue any longer but he needed to make the vampire understand.

"I cannot simply start trusting you wholeheartedly out of nowhere Eren. I trust you to save my life, yes. I trust you to protect me, yes but I do not expect you to share things you do not wish me to know with me if it means you can protect me or even yourself by doing that."

Eren realized that the way Levi looked at things was very generalizing way. Levi had nothing in particular on his mind when he spoke to him. Levi looked at the bigger picture. Now Eren understood where the annoyance came from, Levi hated getting stuck on small details. "Alright," Eren replied. "I get it. Let's drop the topic." It was the end result that counted if Eren understood correctly.

Levi hummed. Eren's hands moved on his neck and shoulder in a very calming manner, massaging away the tension. "I'm sorry," the vampire said softly. "I do not mean to be difficult."

"I know."

Where Eren was impulsive and wanting to talk about things, Levi was more reserved and enjoying the silence. Levi liked to take things easy, making sure he knew what he was doing before executing what he needed to. Eren on the other hand jumped into things, not thinking it through.

Levi smiled to himself as he now had something in common with Eren. He had not thought it through either when he bonded with Eren. He was on the same line with Eren when it came to knowing what being mated meant.

"Humans have it so easy," Levi commented. "Their version of mating doesn't require them to stay together forever. They can switch partners as many times they want in their life."

Eren brushed his hand over Levi's bite mark on purpose. "But they won't know anything about the kind of pleasure we do," he said to the vampire with a low tone.

"Not again, Eren!" Levi exclaimed scandalized. He put some distance between himself and Eren as much as the bath tub let him.

"What!" Eren exclaimed back. "I'm sorry but I'm horny."

Levi eyed him suspiciously. "Are all werewolves this horny?"

Eren could not take Levi seriously when the vampire's hair was a mess of foam as it was not rinsed clean yet. Eren chuckled. "Yeah maybe, I don't know." It was hard to keep a straight face looking at Levi.

"Stop laughing you ass," Levi told him and wanted to kick Eren.

"But you look so hilarious." Eren smirked. He moved to close the distance between them again. Levi looked guarded as he did so. "Relax, Levi."

"How can I when I have a horny dog like you chasing me?"

Eren took a moment to stare at Levi's face and doing the 'soul searching' as Levi had put it and tried to pick upon Levi's emotions. "Are you still feeling hurt because I accused you of lying?"

"Hmph." Levi turned his face away.

Eren found it funny how different Levi could act at times. Eren had gotten him to relax and made him drop his guard and it seemed that Levi was trying to put it back up as fast as possible. "You know, I don't mind seeing you like this," Eren told him.

"I do. Give me some space will you?" Levi glanced at his mate before returning to stare at whatever it was that had before.

Eren sighed and backed down. "Okay." He basked in the feeling of desire alone instead. He closed his eyes and imagined the things they could be doing together.

"You are unbelievable," Levi said after a while. He had returned to observe Eren who was living his fantasies in his mind.

"Thanks," Eren answered with a laugh.

"That was not meant as a compliment."

Eren opened one of his eyes to look at Levi lazily. "You should rinse your hair." The vampire looked cute, glaring at him with his weird hairdo.

Levi eyed the werewolf warily. He expected Eren to jump him at any moment but so far the young wolf seemed content humming to himself eyes closed, looking way too pleased with himself. Levi shivered every time he sensed a wave of desire coming off from Eren but he kept his mind firm.

His uncle had said this would take years but he had every intention to make it stop as soon as possible. Levi did not have the luxury to lose himself into something like pleasure even if it sounded so much better option than pulling away from Eren. But he wanted to get back to what he was before he met Eren. Maybe the fight was futile but he could at least try.

* * *

><p>There was a knock on Levi's bedroom door several hours later. He had returned to reading his book while Eren had been on some cloud number nine alone. The werewolf had obviously thought he could tease him into playing with him but no. Levi did not yield this time. As long as Eren did not touch him, he was fine. He could pretend the lust was just his imagination running wild.<p>

"You are so stubborn," Eren said to him when Levi made no attempt to answer the door so Eren was forced to answer it.

On the other side stood a faintly familiar looking vampire. Eren could swear he had seen her at the council meeting. Maybe she was the leader of the council. Eren had not paid that much attention to who was who.

"Umm hello?" Eren said not knowing how to greet the older woman.

"Is Levi here?"

Levi was out of his seat before Eren could answer her. "What can I do for you, Miranda?" Levi asked politely.

Eren stepped away, leaving the two vampires conversing in peace.

"I would like to talk to you. Alone," she said pointedly.

"Of course. I'll be back in a minute," Levi said to Eren.

Miranda led Levi to the corridor leading away from his quarters. "We discussed your situation some more after the meeting," she told him. "We still strongly believe that you should force the dissolving of the bond and regain a mate truly worth of your time. Everything is not lost yet, my dear boy," the old vampire said. She was obviously using words to get her way.

"I know how you feel about it," Levi started. "I had no choice but I am not willing to go through the pain of losing him either. I've personally seen what it does to a vampire and I'd rather find a way to live with him than experience what I've only seen."

She did not look pleased but then she smiled sweetly. "You made a rash decision and we all know that. You might not feel like it is the best solution to separate yourself from him but the council and the clan do think so."

Levi was about to answer her when he paused. Something twisted in his guts. Something was wrong. He looked at the closed doors that led to his quarters. He opted of bolting towards them and leaving Miranda rudely alone or staying and saying what needed to be said.

But the feeling inside him got worse. "I need to go," he said quickly and tried to walk away but Miranda grabbed hold of his arm.

"If you wait just a moment longer then you don't need to make the decision."

Levi looked at her in confusion.

What on earth did she mean?

Then he heard angry howl that could only come from one being in the whole house.

_Eren. _

Levi yanked himself free from her hold and bolted towards the door as fast as he could. When Levi made it to their room what he saw made his blood chill inside his veins. There was a male vampire standing over Eren, who had transformed into his wolf form and was now lying on the floor. The vampire had a knife in his hand and he looked pleased with his hand work.

There was blood on the carpet. Levi swallowed with difficulty, listening to Eren's heart beat. Please be there!

He sighed in relief when he heard it but as soon as he did he could redirect his energy towards the vampire responsible for what had happened. Rage overtook him faster than he could blink and in couple of strides Levi was at the vampire's side. His fist made an impact on the man's face. A satisfying crunch told him that he had broken his nose.

The other vampire had been so distracted by his job well done that Levi had all the time in the world to snatch the knife from his hands and bury it in his chest. Levi did not stop to think if it was the right thing to do or not. He could not care at all what it meant if the vampire died. Eren was far more important to him.

"Eren," he whispered as he knelt next to the bleeding wolf. Eren had not been hit fatally. At least so Levi hoped as he could not see but one wound on Eren's side. The wolf whimpered. "Shh, stay still. I'll stop the bleeding," Levi kept his voice soft and calm.

The blood poured out of Eren's wound that had luckily missed vital organs. Levi latched his mouth on the wound, knowing his spit would repair any damage Eren might have. As disgusting as it might have looked or felt like to Eren, Levi had no choice than stuck his tongue into the wound. It was not too deep and Levi suspected that Eren had been able to dodge a full blow. What he did not expect was the foul taste that the wound was bathing in. Levi spit any of the foul substance out of his mouth when he was sure the wound had been treated properly. It had to be poison, no doubt about it.

The wound started to heal with a faint sizzle, keeping its angry red color even after closing. It gave further more evidence that there was a poison involved. Levi wiped his mouth clean and was about to move Eren when he heard a shocked voice coming by the door.

Levi had not heard Miranda coming in. "Levi! What have you done!?" she exclaimed when she saw the other vampire lying on the floor with a knife in his chest piercing his heart. She had the audacity to think he had done something wrong while protecting his mate.

"I did what was right. He poisoned my mate," Levi answered gruffly. "I take that this was your plan?" He was seething in anger. He wanted to show Miranda just how he felt about these sort of plans but attacking the oldest member of his clan was not something he could get away with.

Miranda was still in shock but regained her composure soon. "The council saw no other way to make you realize what you have lost."

"Lost?" Levi asked incredulously. "Get the hell out of my quarters Miranda. Take that low life with you," he pointed at the dying vampire on the floor. "I hope the poison works on him too."

Miranda did take the younger vampire with her, cradling the young man in her arms. She looked angry when she left but oddly pleased too. "You do not realize it right now but this is for the best," she said when she left.

Levi gave Eren all his attention. Levi let the young wolf lie on the floor but he moved him to a better place away from the dirty blood. His guess about the poison was confirmed once more when Eren's condition did not get any better even if the wound had been closed. The werewolf shivered as a fever set in. Levi petted Eren's fur, whispering comforting words into his ears. "You'll be alright, Eren."

"What happened?!" Kenny burst into the room. He had smelled the blood, heard the growl and then heard Miranda's voice.

"The council tried to assassinate Eren. They stabbed him with a poisoned blade." They were trying to make Levi lose Eren, to make him see no other option than forcefully switch mates. Levi knew that if Eren died, part of him would die with the werewolf. He would never be the same no matter how he'd try. _Eren._

"What?" Kenny asked his eyes wide as he could not believe what Levi had just told him.

Levi stayed sitting on the floor next to Eren. "We cannot stay here any longer," he said quietly to Eren and Kenny both. "If this is what it means to stay here then..." They had done nothing wrong. Eren had done nothing wrong and yet his clan tried to take his life for simply doing what was right by saving Levi and himself. How could they do this to Levi? How could his own clan betray his trust like this?

"We will leave as soon as Eren is fit to travel." Levi was sure Eren would pull through. "He has to," he said quietly to himself ignoring his uncle.

"I'll go get Seamus. He might have an antidote," Kenny said and left shortly after.

Eren moved, trying to get closer to Levi. The vampire moved to take Eren's head on his lap gently, petting his fur. "It's alright, Eren. I'll take care of you," he spoke quietly as the werewolf shivered again whimpering in pain from the poison.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: **So this will be the last chapter of this year. There is no update until after New Years. I'm taking a short break from this. I am most probably going to be writing but I don't want to think of any deadlines and such for two weeks! xD

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><p><em><strong>Chapter 19<strong>_

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><p>Levi stayed by Eren's side as Seamus was preparing an antidote for the werewolf.<p>

"It takes a few hours for me to get the herbs I need," was what Seamus had said before leaving in haste to get what he needed to aid the young wolf in pain.

Eren whimpered every once in a while when pain got better hold of him. Seamus had identified the poison by Levi's description to be a lethal kind that would kill the werewolf first wearing him down and then slowly eating into his internal organs which might cause a failure in his heart if not treated as soon as possible.

Levi had failed. He blamed himself for leaving Eren alone. He had never thought that the council would be so sneaky in its ways. Levi blamed himself for not noticing another vampire hiding somewhere in the lounge while Miranda took him away to 'discuss' his bonding. Levi had assumed that Eren would be safe as long as he wouldn't leave his quarters, that none would dare to enter with the mind set of harming either of them.

Levi felt disappointed. He wasn't even angry anymore, just disappointed. He had never felt as much of an outsider in his own home as he felt now. His own clan... he could not believe it. He might not believe it but he accepted that they were not as welcoming as they had said or let him believe. He had been foolish to think they could take it easy before continuing their way to see Eren's pack.

Eren moved away from his lap, trying to get up. With whatever strength Eren had left he transformed into his human form. "Levi," he crooked out exhausted.

"I'm here. You are going to be alright," he told the feverish werewolf. Levi looked for a blanket or something to cover Eren but then he saw it better to lift him up on the bed altogether.

"He came here and... he didn't seem dangerous at first," Eren talked his breathing heavy and raspy.

"You don't need to tell me right now. Rest," Levi commanded him softly, petting Eren's hair away from his forehead. He checked the wound and it was still blazing red. It was most likely infected by the poison and who knew what else was on that knife the vampire had used.

"No, he, he... said I should.." Eren felt desperate need to tell his mate what the unknown vampire had told him.

"Shh. Save your strength, Eren. We'll talk when you are better."

"He said I should die for you," Eren breathed out.

"I know. That is what they keep telling me too but I won't let them."

Eren relaxed after hearing that his eyes falling shut and he fell into a fever induced slumber.

Levi sat on the edge of the bed for a moment watching the werewolf sleep. Now he just had to wait until Seamus came with the antidote.

"How is he?" Kenny walked in after softly knocking on the door.

"He's sleeping," Levi answered. He didn't know what else to tell his uncle.

Kenny took a look at Levi's face and said, "You should wash up. I'll look after him while you do that." Kenny knew that Levi did not want to let Eren out of his sight.

"Thank you," Levi said tiredly, appreciating his uncle's offer.

* * *

><p>Seamus came back five hours later with a vial of antidote.<p>

"You are a sight for sore eyes," Levi told him as soon as he saw the triumph smile on Seamus's face.

"He will be fine after he takes this. Let's just hope we made it in time." Seamus made his way to the side of the bed, sitting next to the slumbering werewolf. "Eren, wake up," he coaxed the werewolf out of sleep. "I have the antidote."

Eren first panicked when he saw someone else than Levi sitting by him.

"It's alright. No need to fear. Levi is here as well," Seamus said and saw the young wolf visibly relax. "I need you to drink this. It will cure you." He offered the antidote to Eren who he helped sit up properly. He watched as the werewolf obediently swallowed the liquid. Seamus patted Eren on the shoulder. "You'll be fine in a day or two. Just rest until you are back to your full strength. I'll bring you something to eat later on."

"Thank you," Eren said with a tired smile gracing his lips.

With that the vampire left, leaving very exhausted werewolf and his concerned mate alone. Eren slumped back on the bed and Levi was by his side in a flash.

"You saved my life again," Eren croaked out. Sleep was trying to claim him but he wanted to talk to Levi first just a tiny bit.

"That's what I do," the vampire attempted to joke, relieved that Eren would be fine now.

Eren was too tired to laugh. "Thank you," he said before his eyes fell shut.

For the next two days Eren did little but sleep. He woke up for a few hours and mostly listened Kenny tell about his journeys around the world until the vampire would suddenly shut up as his listener had fell asleep in middle of his blabbing.

The wound scarred nicely, losing it's angry red color and started to heal up nicely. It would leave a small scar and remind them of the actions of Levi's clan.

"Hey," Eren called softly for his mate when he woke up.

"How are you feeling?" Levi asked. He was sitting on the bed next to Eren. He had been reading to kill the time.

"A lot better, thanks."

"Good," Levi said, ruffling Eren's hair.

"If I had known what intentions that bastard had.." Eren trailed off as he felt anger for being stabbed just for the sole reason of being mated to Levi.

"He's dead." Levi had received the news earlier the same day. The council had underestimated the lengths that Levi was ready to go to and now a vampire was dead because of it.

Eren's eyes widened. "What? You killed him?"

"Would you wanted me to keep him alive?"

Eren was at loss of words. He would have expected the vampire to get punished for what he had done but not killed.

"He didn't die right away. I gave him a taste of his own medicine."

Eren looked at his confused and so Levi told him that he had stabbed the vampire with the same knife. Eren didn't know how to feel about the whole issue. One thing was sure, he did not feel safe without Levi anymore. He was scared to even think of being left alone inside this cursed house.

"What's going to happen now?" Eren asked. "I'd assume they are not exactly happy that you killed someone."

Levi sighed, putting the book aside. "The council leader Miranda came here earlier when you were still asleep. She tried to persuade me one more time to give your life for 'better future' as she put it but since I said no she told me that I'm hereby exiled from the clan. We'll leave as soon as you are able to travel but no hurry. My uncle will keep us safe until we are ready to leave."

Levi rubbed a hand across his eyes as he was rather tired as well. He had gotten sleep an hour here and there as he had been too anxious to relax until he knew Eren was fully recovered. The ordeal had shook him, scared him more than he would ever believed possible. Levi hoped that this incident taught Eren something about trust.

Eren reached to touch Levi's arm. "Are you hungry?"

"You don't have to concern yourself with that."

"Hmph," Eren huffed. "You are so stubborn. Is my blood that disgusting?"

Levi swallowed as he thought of the taste that he knew Eren's blood would have. "Not at all," he said rather absentmindedly. He was eyeing the bare skin of Eren's neck, his eyes glued to the spot where he swore he could see the vein popping with every beat of Eren's heart.

"What does it taste like?" Eren asked out of curiosity.

"What does food taste like?" Levi asked in return.

"Good point," Eren said causing Levi to chuckle.

"You didn't think that through, did you?"

Eren shook his head. "Nope." Eren looked at Levi and thought how the vampire seemed to be in control of himself once again. He radiated calmness that seemed a bit odd given the circumstances. "Are you alright?"

"Me?" the vampire asked perplexed why he was being asked such a thing.

"Yeah."

Eren looked up at him with sincere eyes. His hand was still on Levi's arm holding on gently. "Yes. If you must know, I'll be happy to get the hell out of here."

"You know, there's something you should know." Eren said and visibly gulped.

"What?"

"My father is going to kill me so maybe saving me wasn't such a good idea."

"At least we have some experience in assassination attempts now," Levi said after giving it some thought.

"God, your humor sucks."

"Thank you."

Eren had to smile. He couldn't help it. "So, were you hungry or not?" he asked biting his lower lip, and angling his head to the side presenting Levi with a mouth water view.

"You are learning too quickly how to get what you want," Levi said breathlessly as he eyed the tasty looking neck once again. He had not eaten in days and he noticed it.

Eren smirked at him, clearly knowing what he was doing. "I don't hear you complaining," Eren stated, moving his hand on Levi's arm slowly upwards.

"You are insatiable."

"I just take what I can get."

"You should be resting," Levi suggested as he started to move in. His urge to sink his fangs into Eren's soft neck was taking over. Damn werewolf and his delicious blood.

Eren grasped the front of his shirt, making sure the vampire would not be able to pull back. Not that Levi had any intention to really.

Just to freak the young wolf out a bit Levi licked the spot he was going to feed from. He blew air on the wet spot, making the werewolf shiver.

"What are you doing?" Eren asked, not entirely against the action but just wondering.

"Exactly what you are doing to me."

What did that even mean? Eren had no time really think about it as Levi sank his fangs into his neck and the instant reaction of his was to tense up before the pleasure flooded in.

Eren moaned out loud, clutching onto Levi with both of his hands. As Eren got used to the wonderful feeling of being fed from, his fingers started to undone the buttons on Levi's shirt. He slipped a hand inside it to caress Levi's bite mark.

Levi moaned in return. He knew when he was being played with and that was exactly what Eren was doing to him. But this game was something he did not mind to have a part in.

Fueling on each others' pleasure was much more nicer than the silly fights they had had. Desire was something Levi did not need to question when coming from Eren. The werewolf had been acting lustful for the entirety of their time that they had been together and Levi was starting to take it for granted. Maybe werewolves indeed were horny, who knew? Maybe Levi could ask about it when he met Eren's pack?

They were so focused on each other that neither of them noticed how Kenny closed the door that had been left ajar to give them some privacy. At least Kenny didn't have to ask if Eren was feeling better or not.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready?" Levi asked as he entered their room one last time before they would be leaving, that is if Eren was ready to go.<p>

Eren was looking down at himself. He was wearing the robes. "Is it really necessary for me to be wearing these?"

Levi scoffed, "Don't be silly."

"But what if I need to get out of these and fast? I do not want to tear them," Eren said, holding his arms up on his sides.

"Let's make sure you don't have to?"

"You can't guarantee that. What if those people show up again?" Eren was worried. He didn't want to hinder his transformation and thus possibly causing more harm than good if he needed to do it.

"We'll travel through the woods. They won't even know where to start looking for us, you know this," Levi assured him. "Besides they are just clothes. Your life is more important than some clothes," Levi pointed out.

"But it would be such a waste.."

"Don't think for one moment that I'd let you waltz out of here naked. That isn't exactly the kind of exit I wish to make."

Eren smirked. "But they would remember that one, hmm?"

"I am sure it would leave an impression to last for a life time," Levi answered with a smirk on his face as well. He become serious once again. "But let's put kidding aside. It's time to leave." Levi took the backpack from the bed. He had packed all the money they had just in case that they'd need it which he doubted they would. He had dried meat for Eren to last for several days if he could belief Eren's estimates. As they'd be going on foot, they'd have probably three to four day walk ahead of them.

One night Eren had requested a map from Kenny to show Levi where they were going exactly so that he had some idea where to head. They had spent a few days plotting the route there, Levi asking for details about the terrain.

They had made plans where to meet if something went wrong.

Eren did no longer think it was silly to do be cautious. Not after what had happened to him. Danger could lurk anywhere and he was now certain of it.

Levi wrapped himself up in a long, thick black cloak. It would keep the sun from grilling him to death during the day. Levi did count on the thickness of the forest too. Eren had pointed out a few good places for them to take shelter that they should be able to reach within the given time each night. Levi was the one who was a burden to Eren on this journey but he did not voice his thoughts to the werewolf.

Eren looked at Levi and suggested, "You know I could wrap you up in that cloak and carry you home?"

"No way in hell," Levi replied. "I don't think your pack would get the right idea if you get home carrying me all wrapped up."

Eren laughed out loud, thinking about it how he'd have to explain himself to his father why he had a vampire wrapped tightly in a cloak with him as if he had kidnapped him. "I think you're right."

"You said that your father will not be happy about this but do I dare hope that he would not go such extremes as my clan did?"

Eren was about to say that his father would never do anything like that but how would he know? "I don't know but we should be able to reason with him."

"So I do not need to fear for my life?"

"I don't think he'd go that far. After all we are mated and that is not something you can get rid of by killing one of the mates."

Did Levi detect uncertainty in Eren's voice? He narrowed his eyes at the young wolf. "Are you sure?"

Eren licked his lips nervously. "I..I don't know."

Levi sighed. He knew it. He should get ready to fight if needed. Who knew how the father of the young wolf would react. Not to mention the mother! Levi had not asked what Eren's mother would think of this whole thing at all. "Let's go. We got quite a distance to travel."

Eren nodded and took the lead towards the doors but Kenny appeared to stop them before they had the chance to leave.

"Levi, Eren, my dear boys! Are you leaving already?" Kenny looked like he was about to cry.

"Yes. It is time for us to leave. We are not wanted here," Levi said to his uncle.

"Don't say that!" Kenny protested. "You are always welcome to see me. Damn the old hags of the council."

"I'm glad to hear that," Eren piped in.

"Aaaw, you cute poodle," Kenny cooed at the werewolf and Levi watched with horror as Eren blushed instead of getting angry.

"Oh stop," Eren said, his cheeks red, waving his hand once dismissively.

Levi looked between the two, his eyes full of suspicion. "Is there something I should know about?"

"No," both of the men said at the same time which added to the suspicion of the vampire.

Eren couldn't help it, he had to laugh at how pissed off Levi looked. "Levi, seriously, we are kidding with you."

Kenny chuckled at his nephew's apparent jealousy. "Levi," he said with a loving tone. "Take care of Eren, hmm?" Then he turned to the werewolf again. "Same goes for you, Eren. Take care of this little rascal."

"Of course I will," Eren said with a warm smile.

Kenny's eyes were starting to get moist. "Oh Levi, promise me that you'll come to see me." He added to the drama with a quivering lower lip.

Levi had to sigh, the anger dissolving as he looked at his uncle's pathetic expression. "Of course I will when things have settled down somewhat," Levi replied calmly.

"Good. Good." Kenny patted his shoulder sniffing.

"We need to go before you start bawling," Levi said to his uncle, grabbing hold of Eren's arm.

Kenny waved them goodbye, watching them go down the corridor leading their way towards the front entrance of the house.

Levi had been too hopeful to leave the house without any interruptions. Soon enough he saw Miranda standing by the front door.

She smiled sweetly at them but Levi saw through her smile. She was not happy to see them as much as she was to see them leave.

"Levi," Miranda said as soon as they were close enough to her. "I'm sad to see you go and your mate as well of course, " she added the part about Eren as if she had forgotten about him.

"I'm leaving willingly," Levi replied to her. "I wish you won't think ill of me if I come to visit my uncle when he asks me to?"

"Of course not! A few visits are more than within the limits of the exile. But only if you stay with Kenny the whole time."

"Of course," Levi answered tensely. A few tense seconds passed between the three of them. "Goodbye, Miranda," Levi said to her, opening the door for Eren to pass through first.

"Goodbye," Miranda said and shut the door behind the two mates with a heavy click.


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter 20**_

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><p>Levi pulled the hood of his cloak over his head as they left the mansion. The sun was setting and casting its rays over the land. It was already beyond the horizon far enough not to pose any threat for Levi as the sunlight was coloring just the top of the trees. He wanted to be sure and not take any risks. Getting burned once was enough to send shivers down his spine when he thought of getting burned again.<p>

Eren walked just a few paces in front of him. Levi did not look back as they walked across the fields to the get to the front gate. Seamus was no doubt waiting for them there to let them out.

"Sorry to hear about the decision they made," Seamus said as soon as the couple arrived. "But I do understand their reluctance to let you stay."

"There is not much I could have done differently," Levi said. He did not regret hurting and then causing the vampire's death who had attacked Eren.

"Rules are rules. We do not kill one another," Seamus said with a sigh accompanying his words.

Levi nodded. "I do not regret it though."

Eren stayed silent as he listened to the two vampires converse. He searched for the feeling of regret within Levi but could not sense it. The vampire was telling the truth. Eren felt slightly cold at that thought. Although he could not really argue against Levi. The vampire had saved his life, once again, after all.

"I hope to see you again some day," Seamus said. "Smutty and Poochie are going to miss you. Do try to visit before they die."

"I'll try," Levi said with an amused smirk spreading over his face.

"Good. Well then, I better let you leave before someone comes to throw you out." Seamus winked at them. "Take care Levi and Eren," he said politely as soon as the two walked through the gate. He locked the gate behind them.

"Likewise," Levi said and lead the way away from the gate.

"It was nice to meet you, Seamus!" Eren called at the vampire on the other side of the gate.

The older vampire just smiled at him before walking off.

Eren followed after Levi with a sense of loss filling him. Eren couldn't believe that Levi was so willingly leaving his own home. Eren could not pick up much of anything from the vampire. Levi was like a cold rock, unmovable. Eren had watched him pack his few belongings into the backpack the previous night.

Eren had teased the vampire that he would have to leave most of his soaps as they could not possibly carry all with them. To his surprise Levi had packed a lot less than Eren had originally thought he would. A few articles of clothing, some personal belongings such as a book and apparently a diary of his mother's. Everything else could be left behind as Levi had put it.

"Are you sure it's okay like this?" Eren asked when they had walked just a few minutes.

"Don't be stupid. They'd try to kill you again if we stayed there. Who knows what else they'd do if I refused to leave."

Eren did not ask again. Evidently things could not be talked over with the clan at all, not if the way Levi was happier to leave than try to mend the damage done.

"Like I said," Levi started. "I do not regret killing that bastard. My bond with you comes first. The clan can go fuck themselves."

Eren tried to hide his smile even if Levi was not looking directly at him.

"I don't understand why you even suggest that I should do something to chance their decision? You were almost killed and yet you try to make me go there and ask them not to kick em out?"

"They're your clan, your family, right? You cannot just walk out of that so easily."

"My only family is my uncle and he can come see me any time he wants and as you heard they gave me the chance to do so as well. I don't need anyone else from that stinking place."

"I thought it smelled quite lovely in your room at least," Eren commented. "Really soothing for my nose."

Levi rolled his eyes. "That is not the point. Of course my rooms smells nice," he argued before he even thought of it. "Why am I explaining this..." he trailed off not knowing why he was giving into Eren's silly banter at all.

To Eren it sounded so sad that Levi had so many vampires related to him by blood ties but he didn't see them as family at all. But on the other hand it was not his place to judge Levi's way of treating them as those so called family members had gone too far. Eren did not want to return to that house ever again but he'd go if Levi asked him to. Besides there was no way he'd let Levi go alone.

Last few days had been so peaceful and Eren had felt safe as he knew that Levi was not going to leave his side. It had felt nice to be able to be as clingy as he wanted to and Levi would not turn away from him.

Although Eren admitted that he might have been a bit too clingy to be honest but Levi had not said anything about it so Eren had taken advantage of it to the fullest. Besides it had been wonderful to sleep next to someone in that very comfortable bed that Levi had. Levi even changed the sheets often to make sure it stayed smelling fresh.

Eren was doubting that Levi would not like it at Eren's home at all. They did not have that fancy stuff as everything they had was self made. There was no reason to buy something if you could do it yourself. That was how his pack made money for themselves too. They crafted things, made clothes and other things like that and sold them via contacts getting enough money to buy something they couldn't possibly craft themselves. All the money was used for the benefit of the whole pack, not just for someone whose crafting sold.

Eren was getting giddy at the thought of going home. He had not been gone for that long but he was sure people were worried as he had just disappeared suddenly.

Eren was shaken out of his thoughts about home by Levi saying, "Let's hope it doesn't rain."

"Yeah," Eren didn't know what else to say. He wasn't much for chitchatting at the moment as he wanted to put some distance between them and Levi's clan. Eren's feelings were dissonant about how to feel about Levi's clan altogether. Kenny and Seamus had been nice enough for him to trust them, as Levi obviously did.

Then why was it so hard for the vampire to trust him? Eren didn't understand why Levi would not place his trust on his mate. Levi was treating him like he was something to keep intact rather than care about. As if he would break from the slightest nudge to the wrong direction. Like a vase on a pillar, doomed to break if knocked over.

Maybe Levi thought he was too young to take any responsibility for his actions? Eren didn't feel he was exactly on equal ground with Levi. The vampire gave into his whims easily enough. Still, something was missing. That was how Eren felt about it but he didn't know what he should ask for.

* * *

><p>Their first camp was at a riverside where they knew to be rocks that they could hide behind from the burning sun. They reached the river at the early hours of the day. Sun would be up in less than an hour.<p>

Levi was not worried about their pace. The last bits of the journey would be much shorter than the first one.

Eren voiced Levi's thought, "We made it just in time."

Levi picked a spot behind a huge rock that had really nice coverage to hide them from the view altogether unless someone would stand stand right in front of them.

"I could get a fire going? It's a chilly morning," Eren suggested as Levi tried to find a spot where he'd be comfortable sleeping in.

"If you want," was Levi short answer as he changed his position about three times not finding a good one. He was not going to let Eren know that he had problems with something so trivial so he gave up and stayed still while the werewolf gathered some firewood from the woods.

About twenty minutes later Eren came back and Levi watched with fascination as the young wolf made fire. That was a skill he had never learned but this was not the time either right now as he was tired and needed some sleep before they'd get up at sunset.

Eren stayed up for about an hour after the sunrise, tending to the fire. He saw Levi nodding off and shifting around not falling into deep sleep. Eren filled the fire with wood, making sure it would not spread accidentally. He made his way to the vampire who was mumbling something to himself at the edge of dream and awake.

As carefully as he could Eren sat next to Levi, positioning himself between Levi and the rock. "Levi," he called softly waking the vampire up long enough to tug him into his arms. "It's fine, here," Eren said as he hugged Levi to his chest, offering his body as a warm pillow to the vampire.

Levi obviously was too tired to protest and soon he was sleeping pressed against his mate. When Eren was sure Levi was asleep he let his own eyes fall shut as well.

Eren was the first to wake up around mid day. Levi was still snoozing peacefully in his arms. Eren listened to the surroundings trying to find out if there had been some noise that woke him up.

He heard nothing but a few birds chirping in some nearby trees and a wild duck quacking somewhere on the opposite shore. Nothing was out of place. Maybe he was just being paranoid. No one was supposed to know they were here. They had made sure to keep their conversations about their route just between themselves.

After intense ten minutes of listening Eren relaxed. He wasn't feeling particularly tired now that he was awake so he fell deep into thought as he watched over the sleeping vampire. Eren wondered how someone as deadly as Levi could seem so harmless while sleeping? The mystery if vampire's breathed was something he had discovered while holding the sleeping Levi like this many times before. There was almost no breath coming out of him but some did.

Once Eren had asked if Levi's heart did beat at all and the vampire had looked at him for a while until pressing his own ear to Eren's chest counting the beats. "Mine beats thirty times slower than yours," the vampire had answered. Eren had realized that Levi had never thought how many times a human's heart beat and Eren's physiology in that way was the same. His heart beat accelerated only in wolf form to give him the speed he needed.

Eren's thoughts returned to his pack. What would his father think when he'd return home with Levi? Surely he would be angry? Maybe he'd even be disappointed in how his son was now ruined for the purpose of carrying on the family line?

What about his mother then? How would Carla feel about her son being mated to a vampire? Eren did not have any other choice than face his parents anyway as he wanted to and had to go home. He just had this little extra thing to bring with him this time. Eren wondered how Levi would get along with his parents? Eren was afraid that his parents might not accept Levi at all.

Eren sighed as he noticed how he was thinking about this all wrong. There was no way his family or even the pack itself would swallow the fact that their next pack leader was mated to a vampire, a male vampire no less. There was no point to be worrying how things would go when he already knew the most probable outcome.

He needed to brace himself for it, though. His father was not going to be happy, neither would his mother but the situation was what it was and Eren couldn't change it. Evidently his fate was to be the disappointment of the pack. A brief thought that his father might disown him flashed through his mind. Eren knew that his mother was still young enough to have more children so he wouldn't put it past his father to exactly do that.

It was extremely rare for someone to disown someone from a pack but a dire crime could cause that. Eren doubted that he had committed a crime in the first place. He couldn't remember anyone ever doing what he had though so he had no idea how people would react.

Levi shifted in his sleep and Eren wondered if his uneasiness had caused a disturbance in Levi's sleep?

It was then that Eren noticed movement near the shore. He was just able to just and just to see a man washing his hands or something in the water for a brief moment. Eren's heartbeat sped up as he got mentally ready for a possible trouble if the man turned out to be more perceptive than most.

Levi shifted again this time mumbling something.

Eren took a deep breath and exhaled carefully to keep himself calm enough not to wake Levi up.

The man seemed to be a hunter or something of the sort and he soon left not even glancing their direction. They were close to a village and Eren was sure that man was from there. It was not impossible to run into someone from there anyway.

Eren listened to any further noises but picked up nothing. He closed his eyes but felt silly, not used to sleeping at daylight. At least at Levi's he could fool himself to believe that he slept at night and not at day.

Somehow he managed to doze off for a few hours when Levi woke up.

The vampire groaned sleepily, opening his eyes to peer at the world around him.

Eren waited for him to say something.

"Your heart rate is like a lullaby," Levi's words were not something Eren had thought he would utter.

"Thanks," Eren said not knowing how to react to it otherwise.

"No need to get embarrassed," Levi said, smirking as Eren's heart rate picked up. "It's nice to listen to it. I haven't really been listening to heart rates unless I'm hungry." Levi almost mentioned the time when Eren had been stabbed, how frantically he had been listening into his heart beat. He was relieved to hear it going strong.

Eren was unsure how to react to these kind of things that Levi said. "Did you sleep well?" he asked instead of mulling over the weird mood Levi was in.

"Yes."

They fell into silence and Eren noticed how the vampire had not made a move to get up, his ear still pressed against Eren's chest.

"I saw someone a few hours ago at the shore but otherwise it has been quiet," Eren said after a while.

Levi hummed his eyes close. There was no point leaving as the sun had not set yet.

* * *

><p>When they had been walking for a few hours Levi noticed how Eren had started to lag behind. He knew the reason too as the itchy feeling crept up his spine. But for Eren it seemed to be more distracting than that. The werewolf was panting more than he should be when they hardly had been walking that fast.<p>

"We are not that far from our next stop. Hang in there," Levi told him.

"Yeah," Eren said breathlessly leaning against a tree.

Levi was reminded of the time when they were still held captive. Eren was giving him those same looks and this time they made Levi shiver in much more pleasant way than before.

Eren's heated gaze swept over Levi every once in a while. Eren was frustrated how he could hardly see anything of the vampire's figure as the long cloak covered the shorter man almost from head to toe.

Their second to last stop before reaching Eren's pack was a small cottage that was used by the local hunters. There was no hunting season ongoing at the moment so they should be able to use it for themselves. Eren knew the hunting seasons well as his pack was very careful about such things as not go wandering out in the woods when humans were there with their guns. It was an unnecessary risk to take after all.

But such things were the last thing on Eren's mind right now as he tried to keep moving towards their destination while keeping himself in check. He had started to have heat waves just before they had left their hiding place that morning. Now he wanted nothing but tackle the vampire to the ground and rip his clothes off.

Yes, the sound of ripping clothing would so satisfying to his ears. He'd devour Levi until nothing was left of him. He wanted to sink his teeth into Levi's shoulder, renew the bite mark. He'd make sure there was no mistaking who the vampire belonged to. He'd make the vampire remember it too.

Eren's fantasies were interrupted by the vampire himself saying, "Eren, get a hold of yourself."

The werewolf chuckled darkly. So it was apparent that Levi felt his desire even when he had not touched him yet. It was beautiful thing to realize how much he could affect the vampire who appeared calm on the surface.

Eren bit his tongue to keep himself from saying anything back at his mate.

_Mate._

Eren eyed him again. He wanted to reach out and touch the back of Levi's neck. He imagined how he would trail his hand up, tread his fingers into the black locks and yank Levi's head back, exposing his neck. He'd run his tongue on the exposed skin, all the way up to Levi's face.

He wanted to eat him up, down to his bones.

"Eren."

The firm tone broke through his thoughts again.

Eren hummed turning his face away from Levi's glance. He would wait.

But when they'd reach the cottage he'd get rid of this feeling inside of him. If some poor soul happened to be in the cottage, Eren would be more than happy to knock and kick them out to get the space for himself and his prey of the day.

_Prey. _

_No, a mate._


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chapter 21**_

* * *

><p>Levi felt the shift in Eren's … mood. The way Eren loomed just a few steps behind him made his skin crawl. The once nice shivers turn into creepy ones and Levi had to stop.<p>

Eren almost walked into him.

"Why don't you walk ahead and lead the way?" Levi suggested.

Eren seemed to hesitate and Levi was preparing himself for an assault.

As Eren walked past him, Levi took a step back to keep the distance between them. The look in Eren's eyes did not bode well. The werewolf's eyes gleamed and didn't leave Levi's face until the young wolf was unable to keep looking at him. Eren turned his face ahead and walked on.

Levi sighed in small relief. The intensity of Eren's desire was thick and made his throat close up as a result.

But there was a dangerous undertone in the desire that caused Levi to keep his guard up around the werewolf. The look in those eyes did not help either. Eren had been sizing him up as if he was a piece of meat he'd gladly eat for dinner.

Eren's intentions were something Levi could almost feel on his skin. The way Eren projected his emotions made Levi feel as if the young wolf was directly touching his skin not so gentle way. As if his claws were making their marks on his neck.

The savagery of those emotions washed over him, making Levi shiver. He could not know what exactly would happen once they'd reach the cottage but Eren did not seem to be in the mood to wait around.

Levi wanted to slap himself when he realized that he was actually fearing what Eren might do to him. That fear slowly turned into anticipation though as he could not help his thoughts from wandering on the topic more and more. Wouldn't it be great to let go in a way Eren was doing?

He had been careful with Eren each of their previous times when they had mated and now Eren was practically asking for some rough housing. In a good way of course. Levi would not be able to hurt him seriously or vice versa. But that did not mean he couldn't make Eren believe so if needed be.

Levi shook his head feeling slightly disappointed in himself. Hadn't he decided not to let Eren yank him around so easily? Eren's state was affecting his own far too greatly.

Would this ever end?

Levi did remember what his uncle had said and that within time he would learn to control what Eren would feel from him and vice versa. Levi couldn't help but look forward to that time because having a horny, slightly and possibly mad werewolf send him all sorts of signals was not exactly something he'd call fun.

Part of him immediately reprimanded himself that he should be glad he did have this chance to sense what Eren was up to. Who knew what would happen once Eren was able to hide these things from him?

Levi glanced up to the sky. The moon lighted their path through the trees. The moon would be full tomorrow. Levi suspected that Eren's behaviour was due to that. Eren was restless in other ways than just sexually. Levi could tell the difference. Eren had come on to him so many times already that he spotted the unusual sneaking insanity underneath easily.

At least Eren had not been crazy last time when the moon was full, had he?

Something told Levi that this time was different.

Yes that something was the darkness seeping around Eren's aura if that was a good way for him to describe it.

But Levi was not going to give Eren any quarter. No, this was a battle the werewolf would not win.

Eren kept glancing at Levi as they walked on. Eren felt better when Levi was out of his sight but yet he knew that the vampire was close by. Eren entertained himself with fantasies of what he'd do to Levi. He completely forgot the purpose of their journey as he let his thoughts wander.

He acknowledge the fact that full moon was close. He could feel the hollow feeling the approaching transformation brought in him. He had only a day left to enjoy Levi to the fullest before he'd be stuck as a wolf for a while.

Eren sincerely hoped that his horniness would not carry beyond this point. If he was still feeling like this while in wolf form... that could only mean some very disturbing happenings ahead. Levi would probably kill him if that happened. Eren chuckled to himself as he thought of the possible faces the vampire would make if a horny wolf tried to hump his leg. No scratch that, he'd be humping the whole vampire due to their considerable size difference.

Eren burst into laughter.

"What are you laughing at?" Levi asked sounding suspicious.

"Nothing," Eren replied, waving his hand dismissively at Levi's direction. He kept chuckling at the image in his head every once in a while. Unknown to him Levi kept sending him glares because of it.

To his relief Levi could sense that Eren's presence got lighter due to whatever he found funny and the darkness in him was less heavy.

But his joy was short lived when they were about to reach the cottage. As soon as Eren saw the damn thing, the darkness swooshed back in and the werewolf stopped completely.

Levi hang behind him carefully. "Is something wrong?" he asked as he waited if Eren would try anything before they actually were inside their shelter for the upcoming day.

"Nothing," the werewolf answered albeit darkly. For a brief moment Eren turned his gaze on Levi and their gazes met. Then Eren left towards the small building without a word.

Levi watched him go. The tension in between them was like a string pulled too tight. It left little space for Levi to breathe so to speak. So with anticipation and fear of what was to come swirling inside him he followed after the young wolf who was already looking around and sniffing the air making sure it was safe to approach the small cabin.

"I can't smell any humans so no one has not been here for a while," Eren said, walking to the door and finding it unlocked.

The interior was very simplistic. There was a fireplace with a joint stove. There was a tea kettle on the stove and one pot and a pan hanging on the wall. A small one man cot was shoved into the corner of the cabin. Also a small table sat in middle of the room with a two chairs around it.

There was a layer of dust everywhere and Levi looked around in disgust but it would have to do. Luckily one of the two windows was facing away from the direction that the sun would shine from. That left only one to block.

But that train of thought was disrupted by Eren who walked in, pushing the table and the chairs with it towards the fireplace. There was now free space on the floor which Levi chose not to question because his mate had fixed his gaze on him again.

The way Eren looked at him was more than enough to intimidate the vampire. Eren eyes were tinted with gold. Levi didn't need to know what the next day would bring when he gazed back into Eren's eyes.

"Levi," the young wolf breathed out, looking at his mate intensively. Eren bit his own lower lip gently as if he was using it to distract himself and to hold himself back.

Levi had closed the door behind himself but did not move from his position from the door. He waited Eren to make the first move.

Eren undid the robes he was wearing, letting the bundle of clothes fall to his feet.

The young man was gorgeous and Levi let his eyes take in the familiar yet pleasing sight.

Eren called out his name again and took a step towards him. "I want to eat you up."

That was something Levi was not surprised to hear. He had only a few choices to make. He could be swept away by Eren completely or he could do his best to ignore him which would be extremely hard. It did not help that the sun was coming up in an hour. "I can see that," Levi said to keep the conversation, if it could be called that, alive. "Anything else?" Levi gulped as his mouth ran dry all of a sudden.

Eren had not moved any closer but the look in his eyes got even more intense if that was even possible. Eren parted his lips and breathed out in a long sigh and then drew breathe in, closing his eyes. Eren savoured the scent that came off from Levi.

His mate.

"I'd rather show you," Eren said breathlessly, taking a step towards Levi.

"Is that so?" the vampire asked, stepping to the side.

Eren paused when he saw the evasive movement of his mate. "Why are you moving away from me?" his tone was sultry. The werewolf did not sound at all worried or hurt by the fact that Levi was reacting the overwhelming pressure cowardly.

He had moved before he had even thought about it, Levi realized. He was supposed to be in control of himself but something about Eren made him step back each time the werewolf took a step towards him.

It would have looked rather comical to watch them dance around the floor. Eren doing his chasing with lazy steps while Levi kept the distance between them.

Finally Eren came to an halt watching Levi take one more step away from him. "You know we are not getting anywhere if you keep avoiding me," Eren pointed out. "You did this while we walked here and you are doing it still. We have mated several times so why?"

Nothing in the way Eren spoke or looked at him indicated to Levi that the werewolf was actually interested in his answer or the reasons. All Levi got from him was the urge to mate. The force it was being projected to him was very distracting.

Levi couldn't answer Eren. What could he say other than he was intimidated and afraid to let the werewolf have the control he clearly was seeking to gain. Heck, Eren already had it.

"You better take off the clothes that you want to spare," Eren said, tilting his head to the side and looking away from Levi, closing his eyes. Eren was trying to control himself. "You should hurry." Eren could only hope that Levi would do as he asked. That the vampire would have enough time to do so too.

Levi did as asked and started to get rid of his clothes. Eren's voice had held no threat but the urgency of it was enough to get Levi to comply. He was almost done, his shirt was open and he was about to get rid of it when Eren suddenly snarled and launched himself at Levi.

Levi had no time to evade the sudden attack of the sexual predator known as Eren.

They ended up in a wrestling match as Eren was very keen on ripping Levi's pants off and the vampire could not accept that trying to prevent Eren from ruining his pair of trousers.

Eren was growling at him like a wild animal, baring his teeth in frustration.

Levi tried not to hurt the wild werewolf. One wrong movement and he might break Eren's arm or worse. "Eren, calm yourself!" he exclaimed in vain. He knew he could bite the werewolf to get him to calm down at least somewhat but Levi was reluctant to put his own head anywhere near that snarling head of Eren's.

Besides he wasn't sure if adding the feeling of pleasure to the feelings that Eren was having right now would be a wise thing to do.

Biting a highly turned on werewolf was probably not going to solve this. Not if any of the previous times he had done so were any indication on how Eren would react. The damn wolf turned into a purring kitten every time and Levi would be unable to resist him after that.

Then again that didn't sound so bad right now.

But Eren had other ideas. The werewolf wrenched at the hold that Levi had of his wrists at the moment and that send them rolling on the ground for a moment until Levi managed to force Eren on his stomach, face down on the ground. Levi sat quickly on the back of Eren's thighs to keep him still.

Eren trashed as Levi yanked one of his arms behind his back, adding enough pressure to warn Eren what would happen if he didn't stop moving.

Eren growled at him, trying to turn his head to look at him. "Bastard!"

"Says the one who attacked me out of nowhere." Levi made sure his grip on the wrist was firm enough.

Eren outright scoffed at Levi's words. "You can't do this to me!" the werewolf cried out, desperation seeping into his tone. "I need you, dammit!" Eren's words lost their power as the werewolf whined.

Levi almost pitied him.

Almost.

But he didn't because at the end of the day he would give Eren what he wanted.

With his free hand Levi caressed Eren's butt and gave the left cheek a firm squeeze. Eren reacted by trying to stick his bum out while moaning.

"You're like a bitch in heat," Levi said, massaging the soft skin under his hand. He finally had the upper hand.

"Levi," Eren whined shaking. Eren knew that Levi could not be unaffected by this. He sensed the desire so why was the vampire not doing anything! That was the thought screaming inside Eren's head. Despite Levi currently keeping him in place Eren was waiting for a chance to take control of the situation. If only he could get Levi to lower his guard for a second or two.

Levi on the other hand was starting to think he had the situation under control. His hold of Eren's wrist got lax. He spread Eren's ass cheeks gently. "Wet one like too," he commented making Eren groan.

"Please do something, anything!" Eren begged. He tried another approach purposely sounding out of breath, "I need you. Please." Eren fought back a smile as he noticed that it was working. "Fuck me, Levi," he moaned out loud, dragging his claws against the wooden floor when he felt Levi give his buttocks another squeeze.

Levi's cock twitched. God damn he wanted Eren. "I'll fuck you like the bitch that you are," Levi growled and received similar sound back from his mate. It made him smirk with satisfaction.

Eren sighed in relief and shivered in anticipation when he heard the jingling of Levi's belt indicating that Levi was living up to his promise. Eren tried to hoist himself up and to his surprise Levi did let go of his wrist.

Levi lifted himself to his knees, giving Eren the chance to get up on his.

Eren was so close to fulfilling his desire that he did not care how it happened. Eren braced himself on his elbows and knees, waiting on the way too slow vampire to get his damn pants off. "Hurry up," Eren snarled being very impatient.

Levi called him out on it and Eren almost barked angrily.

Levi was so slow. It felt like time was dragging for Eren. He needed to be filled up right at the second but the vampire was taking his sweet time probably admiring his ass.

Levi pushed his trousers low enough to hopefully not dirty them more than necessary. Eren could be a tease some times but this time Eren was too desperate to tease him. Not that he needed to. Levi was more than enough on board for this mating from the beginning. Of course now that the werewolf was at his mercy he wanted to tease him instead.

To slick his cock he used the slick that had oozed out of Eren's ass, rubbing his dick between his ass cheeks. He might have done it a moment too long since Eren voiced his disagreement soon enough.

"No, no, no, " Eren chanted. "Stop teasing me!" Eren hissed. "God damn I hate you. You are so cruel to me," he whined, trying to push against his mate.

"I sense no hate from you, my wolf."

Eren growled, his frustration building up. He was losing it. Levi better hurry or he wouldn't be able to keep himself in control any longer.

When Levi finally entered him he sighed in relief. His wait was over at last.

At first Levi was gentle with him, making sure he was not causing any discomfort to his mate but Eren was only moaning in pleasure, relaxed and seemingly happy with what he did.

With his hands on Eren's hips Levi set an unhurried pace.

Eren was not satisfied with the situation. He didn't get what he wanted from Levi. The vampire was controlling his movements too much. What Eren wanted was raw power without the gentleness that Levi still managed to slip into their intimate moments. Eren suspected it was subconscious of Levi to not hurt him on purpose. Levi was stopping himself before things got anywhere near rough.

It was not enough.

Now Levi was looming over him, his lips touching Eren's skin once or twice, here and there. His arms were on either side of Eren. "You are gorgeous," he whispered to the werewolf.

Levi had let his guard down and Eren took the chance, yanking on a hand that Levi was relying part of his weight on. Eren used Levi's loss of balance to his advantage.

Levi soon found himself on his back with Eren straddling him. "And unpredictable," he said breathlessly looking up to the fierce eyes of Eren.

Eren positioned himself back onto Levi's cock but grabbed Levi's hands when they reached towards him. Eren leaned over the vampire, pressing Levi's hands on the either side of Levi's head. He bared his teeth and growled at the vampire to make sure he understood his place.

Levi made move to protest against the hold Eren had of him. Especially not when Eren started to move. His hips were the only thing moving, the magical dance of those said hips was more than captivating. Not to mention how good it felt. He should let Eren take control more often because Eren was splendid. He was a beast through and through. A beautiful one at that.

The scar on Eren's side caught his eye and in Levi's opinion it held beauty of life. Every time Levi saw it he thought of how close of losing his beast he had come.

The urge to bite Eren was growing as his pleasure grew. Levi was soon sharing the look on Eren's face as his fangs grew. He opened his mouth, letting Eren see them as well and letting him know what Eren was doing to him. However he did not want to bite him. How could he want to tame the beautiful beast on top of him?

Eren dragged him up from the to a sitting position and Levi complied thinking that Eren would kiss him.

But he was so wrong.

Eren did lick his cheek, nuzzled his cheek and neck. He slipped the shirt of Levi's shoulders before snarling, "Mine," into his ear and biting down on the existing bite mark.

Levi's eyes widened but not from pain but pleasure. He clamped his free hands on Eren's hips and pushed them down, bringing them as close to each other as possible as he felt an orgasm rip through his being. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he moaned.

He was out of control but in the best way possible.

The pleasure that Levi experienced was great enough for Eren to reach his peak as well. As long as his teeth were inserted in Levi's flesh the vampire was under his spell. But there was a point when it was good to let Levi go and that was when the vampire whimpered almost as if he was in pain.

Eren lapped at the fresh, renewed bite mark, sucking and licking to stop the bleeding.

Then he prompted Levi to lie back down which the vampire did without hesitation.

Levi sighed not knowing if he should say anything or was it okay to fall asleep right there. But then he remembered that he had to cover the window before it was too late. He didn't know if had the will to move yet though.

Eren on the other hand nuzzled his cheek with his nose, licking him in what could be called an affectionate way.

"Eren," Levi spoke out several minutes later. "We need to block the window or I need to get to a safe spot."

The werewolf did not answer him.

"Hey, did you hear me?" Levi turned his head to see if Eren was even awake anymore.

Eren dragged his tongue over Levi's lips and kissed him.

Levi hummed in appreciation but pulled away to say, "This is all nice but I do not want to die any time soon."

That got a reaction out of Eren who got up floor, offering a hand to Levi. Once he was standing, Levi pulled his pants back on so that he could get on with securing the cabin from any needless rays of sunlight.

They would be here for at least a day more since Eren's transformation was coming. The early signs of it were clear to see as Eren reverted into a mindset of a beast from time to time.

As soon as the window was shielded Eren practically dragged him to the cot in the corner of the room. On the small one man cot they huddled together as it was customary for Eren to do after they had been intimate. The werewolf would seek comfort or safety of his being, Levi didn't really know exactly what but he didn't push him away either.

The next evening Eren transformed into a wolf and so their wait begun. Levi fed him some of the meat they had with them, keeping an eye on him and petting his soft fur.

There was no trace of the heat or desperation left in Eren. The wolf slept peacefully next to Levi who also closed his eyes for a moment or two, feeling relaxed and safe with his own big beast there to protect him.

* * *

><p>After the long days of walking they reached the general area where Eren's pack lived. Levi was more than interested in finding what waited him once they'd reach Eren's home. How did a pack of wolves live? Levi had forgotten to ask and he hoped that the pack did not live in caves or anything.<p>

Suddenly Eren stopped at the edge of a forest and turned to look at Levi. "From this point on it's my pack's territory so we might run into someone. Don't stray too far or you might get attacked by someone who doesn't obviously know you are here with me," Eren explained.

"I'll hold your hand then," Levi said jokingly.

Eren made a face at him but then he gave it some thought. "That is not a bad idea actually. We don't know who we run into and they made think you are some creep if they recognize me in time."

"I thought you wolves would recognize each other by scent?"

"We do but some of us are more of the 'attack first and ask questions later' -type of people," Eren said.

Levi nodded, staring into the forest as dread coiled in the pit of his stomach. So there was a chance that a werewolf might leap out of nowhere on him and possible harm him. Levi had no choice but put his trust on Eren.

"Don't worry. If you take my hand, you'll be fine," Eren said offering his hand for the vampire to take.

Levi looked at the hand and then at the forest. "How long until we reach your pack?"

"Two hours at most," Eren replied still waiting for Levi to take his hand.

"Alright," Levi said slipping his hand into Eren's. "Let's go then."


	22. Chapter 22

_**Chapter 22**_

* * *

><p>Erwin rubbed his tired eyes as he reread every report he had gotten from his followers concerning the escaped duo. Being the commander of an organization as big as his was a tiresome job sometimes, meaning he had to pull long nights to get to the bottom of things.<p>

The escape of the two individuals had caused him more headache than anything ever before. They almost had them! They were right assuming that they would try to reach Karanese but still the monsters of the night had outrun them. They had tried to pursue them but the werewolf was faster than any of their hunting dogs.

One of the reports said that the dogs had been hot on their trail until suddenly they had dropped the chase, refusing to go any further. The men handling the dogs had written in their report that it would have been unwise to continue further since if their hunting dogs did not have the guts to enter a part of a forest then no human should go there either.

But they had been so close!

If only they had the same specimen to continue their research with, they would not have had to start anew. Hanji had told him that she needed at least two more vampires or more to continue the research for the vaccine that would be the salvation of their people.

The vaccine would work on vampires only so Erwin had made plan on how to get rid of the werewolves too at the same time. If where they had captured the werewolf was any indication where a bunch of them lived, then they could start on his plans as soon as possible. Erwin had asked for his people to go and gather as much information in the villages all over Maria to find possible places where werewolves might live. Striking everywhere at once would prove to be the most efficient strategy when dealing with wild animals.

They would start their purge as soon as possible. They needed a few werewolves captured too for their plans to go smoothly.

They had a lot of work ahead of them, years worth, but the results that Erwin was hoping for made him smile.

He had had little reason for joy in the past ten years that he had taken to build his organization. He had thought vampires and werewolves to be a myth until the day his father told him the horrifying truth when he was twelve years old.

His father had revealed his true line of work which was hunting vampires for money. Erwin had never questioned how they were so well-off before but then he learned. His father was one of the best in his line of work but he failed to teach his son the fine art of vampire catching that Erwin so desperately needed now. Erwin had been taught a few basic things such as that a vampire would usually stick around a town for two days or as long as they were not discovered.

It all depended on the size of the village. Erwin knew how they preyed on the innocent people, especially young maidens were their favourites. So many young women had fallen victim to the seducing demons that they had been unfit to marry.

Those poor souls had to be avenged. Not to mention his father's death which was publicly presented as a suicide but Erwin knew better. Vampires had killed him as a revenge, without any mercy they had slaughtered him. Ripped him apart and left his body at the doorstep of his home.

Erwin's mother had found his carcass and suffered a breakdown which she never recovered from.

* * *

><p>Levi kept up with Eren's hurried pace easily. Eren was more than eager to get home and Levi understood him completely. They were safe and they could only get safer by being with the whole pack.<p>

Levi sense nervousness rolling of Eren in waves and he was not surprised by that either.

They had been walking for what seemed about half an hour when suddenly Eren stopped. His ears perked on top of his head as the young wolf stood rigid.

Just as suddenly Eren had stopped he relaxed too. "It's just Jean," the young wolf said and they resumed their trek. This time though with much slower pace. They walked peacefully towards a wolf that that Levi had not even seen until recently. The said wolf was significantly smaller than Eren and running towards them at breakneck speed. For a moment Levi thought they were going to crash into the ferocious looking wolf but just a few meters before the wolf curved to the left and ran around them once before stopping in front of them.

"Hi Jean," Eren said lamely. He even gave the wolf just as lame wave too.

The wolf growled and Eren shook his head. "I know." They conversed with several growls coming from Jean and several one word replies from Eren until Eren said, "Could you go to my father and tell him I'm fine?"

Levi had watched this one sided conversation trying to imagine what on earth did this Jean say each time. Now Jean left them with the same speed that he had ran to them in the first place.

"That horseface just can't help but bark at me every time I do something wrong," Eren muttered loud enough for Levi to hear.

Levi was confused at this and Eren picked it up, turning to him. "He has a long face, like a horse, in his human form."

"Ah." That explained it all. Levi now wanted to see what this Jean looked like.

"We better get ready. My father will have a thing or two to say," Eren said nervously. He pulled Levi with him as they continued towards the direction that Jean had disappeared into.

They had walked maybe five minutes when Eren suddenly said, "Oh by the way, no matter what happens do not say a word in front of my father, okay?"

"Why not?"

"Just don't."

The cryptic answer was suspicious. "You have time to explain," Levi injected despite Eren's seeming reluctance to do so. Levi glanced ahead and saw no one yet.

"We have a hierarchy and you are the lowest in that. You are an outsider and it depends on what your rank will be on how my father reacts to you." Eren dearly hoped that Levi understood what it all meant.

"But I'm your mate." Surely that would count for something.

"That doesn't matter," Eren said strictly. It did seem that he would need to explain it further some other time.

_How could it not matter?_ Levi sensed there would be an argument if he pried any further at this point as Eren was all nerves and not calm at all. He'd let Eren do the talking if that was what Eren wanted. They walked on in silence for a long time and Jean did not come back as Levi would have expected him to do.

Eren cursed softly under his breath and Levi noticed the reason too even though probably not as clearly as Eren could.

There was a group of people ahead.

Levi was happy to note that none of them were naked. He could see an outline of buildings behind them too. _This must be where Eren lives_, Levi thought. At least they seemed to live in houses rather than caves. Judging by their clothes they were not as savage either as Levi had thought.

"Eren!" A woman called out and rushed to the young wolf. "Where on earth have you been?" she asked frantically as she clutched Eren into a bone breaking hug. She resembled Eren greatly and Levi concluded she must be Eren's mother.

Levi noted that Eren did not let go of his hand but hugged her back with just one arm.

"Mother, I'm sorry I worried you," Eren whispered into her hair.

"Eren," came a stern voice from a man who walked to them without a rush. He had Eren's eyes and he carried an air of importance.

"Father," Eren said when his mother let him go. "I was supposed to be back earlier but I got captured by the humans," he told his father.

When Eren's mother let go of Eren Levi noticed that she gave him a curious look and kept it on him for a long moment as if sizing him up.

Not even once did Eren's father look at Levi. He acted as if he was not there. "It's good to see you are safely back home."

"Yeah," Eren said. He was scared. Eren tired his best not to show it.

To alleviate his fear Levi squeezed his hand to remind him that he was there, protecting him no matter what. At any given moment he was ready to pull Eren behind himself if anything threatening would happen.

"I..." Eren started as he saw the suspicion in his father's eyes. It was hard to say what he needed to say. He had to introduce Levi and he already could see that his father was not happy at all.

Eren gulped. They had come this far and turning back wasn't an option anymore.

He gathered his courage.

"Father, mother," he spoke to his parents equally and stepped aside just a little to get their attention on Levi. "This is my mate, Levi."

Levi wished he could have somehow preserved the look on Eren's father's face when Eren announced him being mated. His eyes were wide, his face went white and Levi expected him to faint. Blood took a while to return to his face.

For the first time Eren's father looked at Levi. His calculating and disbelieving gaze swept the vampire from head to toe before returning on to Eren. "You must be kidding me."

Eren's mother on the other hand did not look surprised but she did have a disapproving look on her face.

"I can explain-" Eren started to say but he was cut off by his father.

"You think this is acceptable!? You are not even of age to do something like this, Eren. Did you do this because of the disagreement we had? Did you do this to get back at me? Because if you did-"

"No!" Eren exclaimed interrupting his father in turn. He was shaking. "This has nothing to do with the reason why I left in the first place."

Levi wondered what the two had been fighting about if it made Eren ran away from his own pack. Eren had not been very open with his personal matters. Maybe Eren was ashamed of what he had done or said? Levi could only wonder.

"Then why? No that is not even worth to be asked. This unholy union must be undone at this very moment. You cannot come home expecting me to accept this," Eren's father hissed.

"Father, I had no choice!" Eren argued back.

"You always have a choice in matters like these, Eren!"

"Not if the only other option was to die." Eren had to get through to his father.

The two werewolves were standing very rigid as they fought verbally. Neither of them backing off from the fight.

"You cannot know that-"

Eren grit his teeth. "I'm sorry father but I did know that! Those people who captured me had no intention of letting me go after they were done with whatever they were planning on using me for. I'm not naïve enough to believe that they would have let me go free. Levi was my only way out of there and ever since he has kept me safe. I owe him my life, father."

Eren's father's lips were white from the force he pushed them together in a thin line. For a moment he gazed into Eren's eyes as if searching for some sort of opening or lie in there. "You are telling me this blood sucker _helped_ you?"

"Yes. We swore an oath-"

"Oaths can be broken, Eren! They are just words. How can you trust this evil spawn and its words of protection?"

"Because he has done exactly as he promised." Eren was not done yet. "Our oath goes beyond words, father. I'll explain it later-"

"Later? You think I care for some words you two have shared between yourselves? You are not bringing that _thing_ to our home." Eren's father pointed a firm finger at Levi direction.

"Don't insult him," Eren growled.

"I do exactly as I please, Eren, and that is something you should remember when living under my roof."

Suddenly Eren's mother who had been quiet and not taking any part in the argument, put her hand on her mates arm. "That goes far enough," she said quietly.

Eren's father visibly relaxed and when he looked ta her his eyes softened. "I guess you're right."

She smiled at her mate before her face grew serious again. "Our son has made a choice. I'd like to hear the circumstances first," she spoke softly.

Eren sighed in relief and Levi could feel him relax as well. Eren even squeezed Levi's hand, giving him a brief smile.

Many times during the argument Levi had wanted to jump in and defend himself or Eren but he had tried to keep his promise not to say anything. It seemed it had turned out for the best after all without his meddling.

The whole argument had been heard by the pack as there was several people standing where Eren's parents had been. Apparently the disappearance of the son of their pack leader was important. Levi wouldn't know. In his clan people would have been ignorant to something like this as he had come to notice.

Levi didn't know if that was every person in the pack or was there more? But none of them looked happy when they saw Levi.

While Eren explained the outline of what had happened to him and why he had chosen to take the risk of mating Levi, the said vampire wished to pitch in. Eren was letting out important information about the bond they shared. He already predicted what Eren's parents were going to say.

"The mating can still be undone," Eren's father said. "We only need to find you a suitable mate and-"

"No, he would still be mated to me," Levi said.

All three werewolves went still as soon as they locked eyes on him. Eren's mother raised a hand in front of her mouth which formed a small 'o'.

Eren looked mad. "I told you to keep your mouth shut," he hissed at Levi. Desperation and fear swirled out of him as he looked at Levi. If only Levi had kept his mouth shut. Now Erne might not be able to protect him from his father verdict at all.

Eren's father narrowed his eyes at the vampire. "Are you telling me that you will not let him go?"

"Father," Eren hurried to say, "What he means-"

Eren's father cut him off, "I am not asking you, Eren, but your _mate._" He gave Eren a blood shrilling look and Eren shut his mouth, looking down at his feet.

That didn't settle well with Levi but he understood a little better what Eren had meant about hierarchy. He felt bad for breaking his promise. "The blood bond we share will not permit separation," Levi explained. "We may have only made an oath of protecting each other but that doesn't change the fact that he is my mate now. The bond is forged by blood and cannot be broken without Eren losing his life in the process. If it had been possible then we would have done so already and I wouldn't be here with him," Levi tried to speak as politely as he could, keeping his voice leveled.

"Is that so?" Eren's father asked his eyes narrowed.

"Yes, sir." Maybe he went a bit too far with his politeness because Eren's father looked at him more suspiciously than before.

"This is the first time I hear of such bond," Eren's father said his voice full of suspicion.

"It isn't the sort of information you would spread around in case it ends up reaching the ears of the wrong type of people. I'm sure you can understand that," Levi said implying that the werewolves had secrets too that they would not be willing to share with him.

"Hmm. Perhaps, but you need to tell me in more detail about this bond to make me believe anything you say."

"Of course."

Eren's father returned his gaze to Eren. His gaze softened once again and he touched Eren's shoulder. "It's good that you are safely back home. We were worried about you. Don't ever run away from us like that again." He glanced at Levi before continuing, "He may stay until we have this problem solved."

Eren wanted to argue but thought better of it. It was a big step forward to have his father agreeing on letting Levi stay. Eren was ready to leave with Levi if his father had said no. Not even for one second did he think that he would be able to stay away from Levi.

Eren's parents walked away from them but Eren did not follow. Levi stayed put waiting for what Eren wanted to do.

"You shouldn't have spoken to him when he was not speaking to you," Eren said to Levi with a serious look in his eyes. "That alone could have made him reject you from the pack. You should be grateful that he let's you stay."

"He was about to-"

"My father makes the rules, okay?" Eren's voice was firm. "He is not unreasonable and I am sure we can make him accept this if we talk to him some more. He isn't one for rash decisions so whatever you might think he is about to do might never happen. He talks more than he bites."

"You could have told me this before we ever came here," Levi argued back. He didn't like to be kept in the dark.

"Well I thought you'd do as I asked and keep your mouth shut. I thought you understood my short version when I told you about the hierarchy."

Levi could not argue with that. He should have kept his mouth shut after all. He had thought... well it didn't matter what he thought obviously. Levi wondered what exactly did Eren plan on telling his father to keep him from kicking them out?

Eren's parents were sharing a heated discussion while they walked towards a building that Eren was now pulling Levi to as well.

Levi looked around as they passed several houses on their way. They were nothing grand but looked cozy. The whole settlement was a small village of sorts. There were some buildings further away. But one thing Levi noted that there was no fence like there was around his clan home. Anyone could come and go which made Levi a bit weary until he remembered that who on earth would have the guts to come here with ill intentions. The village was full of werewolves as far as he knew.

Levi noticed himself pondering briefly if werewolves ever mated with humans? At least what he could see, everyone had ears on top of their head.

There was a couple of male werewolves with two small girls standing by one of the small cottage like looking buildings. They ushered the little girls inside the house as if the girls were seeing something they shouldn't. Levi could not blame them for being cautious. They were not reacting any differently towards him than how his own clan had towards Eren.

Eren's mother and father kept glancing at them as they walked on. They were still conversing in hushed tones and if Levi could make any sort of judgment, Eren's mother looked worried.

Eren on the other hand was dreading what was coming ahead. Because he knew that his father was good at coming up with arguments. So far Levi could stay but that could change any time in the future if his father changed his mind. Eren only had the hard task of making his parents and the whole pack accept his mate ahead.

Nothing big, just that one tiny little thing.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

* * *

><p>They were inside what appeared to be Eren's home? Levi assumed so at least judging by the homey exterior of the house. One good thing was that they were out of the earshot of the whole pack for now. Their conversation which Levi knew they were about to have would be somewhat private.<p>

Eren was facing his father as they stood in what seemed to be a living room of sorts. His ears were against his head, and he was staring at his feet as if he had done something bad. Eren looked like a child being scolded. Which was not far from the truth.

"Eren, we must find a way to rid you from that vampire. I'm sure there is an solution to it. We should start by trying to override the bite mark you have. I know you'd like to choose your own mate but we don't have much time. Every minute you spend being mated to that creature lessens the chances of getting you out of this mess." Eren's father was holding Eren in place by his shoulders, trying to reason with his son.

"But father-"

"No, Eren. You are not going to stay tied to that thing no matter how it feels like the best thing to do." Eren's father was very adamant on his opinion.

Because that was what Levi thought it was, an opinion. There was no way he'd let him try to separate them. He would not watch Eren suffer nor would he under go any of that either. If Eren's father thought even for one second that it was truly going to succeed, he'd run as fast as he could and take Eren with him. They would not return here.

"We'll think about what we'll do in the morning. But first you two are not going to be spending any time together, is that clear?"

Eren looked confused not understanding his father's decision. "Why?"

"You are going to stay over at Armin's with his grandfather until this thing is sorted."

Eren's confusion only grew. "But...No, you cannot-"

"I can and I will. You will not go anywhere near that thing as long as he's here," Eren's father was once again pointing his finger and the vampire while he spoke.

Levi cleared his throat to get his attention.

Eren's father looked at him, eyes narrowed. "Yes? You got something to say, little bat?"

"I need his blood every day," Levi lied smoothly. Eren turned his head towards his, looking baffled by it. Eren kept his mouth shut this time though. Eren recognized a chance when he saw one.

"But somehow you managed to stay alive for months? Don't think I'm stupid enough to believe you," Eren's father said. He had obviously listened to Eren when his son had told about the circumstances that they had met under.

"Eren is now my mate. I cannot survive without his blood for long." Levi was not going to go down without a fight even if it was a battle of wits. Or lies in this case.

"Is this true?" Eren's father asked his son.

"Yeah," Eren answered but did not raise his gaze to meet his father's eyes as he turned his gaze away from Levi's.

Eren's father looked from Eren to Levi quietly as if calculating something inside his mind, figuring out if the two were telling the truth at all. "It's you isn't it?" he directed his eyes at Levi with such a fervor in them that the vampire wanted to take a step back. Eren's father pushed Eren out of the way and grabbed a hold of Levi's cravat. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"

"Did what?" Levi was not following the werewolf's thought pattern.

"You seduced my son, didn't you? Don't think for one minute that I do not know about your incubus ways, vampire," he practically spat the words onto Levi's face as he towered over Levi.

"Father," Eren tried to pry his father off Levi. "You are wrong." But Eren's words fell on deaf ears.

Levi grit his teeth. His first instinct was to fight back, break the arms grabbing him but he knew that would only cause more trouble. He could sense how concerned Eren was getting, slowly panicking over the situation.

"Did you touch him?" Eren's father growled darkly. His voice was deep full of silent threat of what might happen if Levi gave him an answer he didn't like.

"What-" Levi was interrupted.

"Don't play stupid and pretend not to know what I'm talking about," Eren's father sounded serious. He lifted the vampire just a bit upwards, giving him a silent message that he was not to be trifled with. "Did you touch him?" he repeated the question with deadly calm.

"Isn't it part of your mating ritual?" Levi could not understand why Eren's father was so angry about it? Wasn't it given that they had mated in the first place?

"Only once is enough," Eren's father said. "What I am asking is, have you touched him after that?"

Levi glanced at Eren, wondering if he should tell the truth or would Eren prefer he didn't? Eren was looking at him with pleading eyes. "Yes," Levi said despite what Eren might think would be the best. Lying was not going to help them at all.

Eren's father growled at him as soon as he heard the answer. His hand tightening its grip on Levi.

"Father!" Eren exclaimed, his voice full of fear.

"I'd like to kill you," Eren's father snarled.

Levi grabbed a tight hold of his wrist. "You can try," he whispered back, showing him that he was not scared of him.

"Please stop!" Eren was now crying, desperately trying to get through to his father.

They had barely even started yet and Eren was already crying out for them to stop. Eren clung to his father's arm.

Levi did not falter his gaze from Eren's father as the werewolf stared at him with rage filled eyes. They reminded him of Eren's so much that he knew this man was serious with his threat. Eren had never looked at him with such coldness though.

Tension was thick around them and Levi was glad he didn't need to breathe because the hold of the werewolf on him would have been suffocating.

Eren was still crying, pleading for his father to let Levi go. "He saved my life! Please, father, let him go." Eren's cries got quieter. "Please," he pleaded clinging on his father's arm.

Finally Eren's father looked at his son but his eyes did not soften. "How many times did you sleep with this creature?"

Eren was taken aback by the question. "W-what?" Eren wasn't sure of the answer at all. He had not counted. "I don't know!" he cried out in desperation. "Maybe four, I don't really know!"

"Six," came a curt answer from Levi which caused Eren's father to glare at him with his teeth bare.

"I'll kill you!" he bellowed at the vampire.

"NO!" Eren screamed and rashly bit down on his father's arm.

His father hissed at the sudden pain, his attention returning to his son. "Eren!" His hold of Levi faltered enough for the vampire to wrench himself free.

Levi skipped a few feet away from the werewolves. He doubted he needed to step in between Eren and his father. He assumed Eren would not be harmed judging by the way how protective his father was.

"Eren!" the older werewolf exclaimed in pain. "You are acting like a wild animal. Control yourself!"

"You are not going to hurt him," Eren growled at his father sternly. He had the same fire in his eyes as his father had just a moments ago.

Eren's father stared at his son hissing in pain, keeping his arm close to his chest away from his volatile son. "Eren," his tone was one of pain. "You don't understand what you've done."

"I survived!" Eren exclaimed and narrowed his buffed up eyes. Why couldn't his father see that he had done what had to be done. "Stay away from my mate. I promised to protect him and I will even if it means I have to fight you."

"Grisha," Eren's mother stepped in for the first time, taking a look at her mate's arm. "Eren won't understand unless you tell him."

"I'm hoping I never have to," Grisha answered to her, letting her examine the wound.

Levi wondered what they were talking about. There seemed to be more to Grisha's anger than just the fact that Eren had mated someone who was not suitable in his eyes. Levi was missing something but what?

"That is yet to be seen," she reminded Grisha. Then she turned to Eren. "You should do as your father says and go over to Armin's for the time being."

"But what about Levi?" Eren asked as he calmed down considerably when he spoke to his mother.

"Show your mate to your room and he is to stay there until we let him out, is that clear?" her tone was unwavering and calm. She saw that Eren was about to open his mouth to protest about something. "You'll see him tomorrow. Under my supervision," she added.

Eren sighed but accepted the terms even though he did not understand why his mother and father were adamant that he could not stay with Levi. He was about to move away but his guilt got the better of him. "I'm sorry I bit you, father," he apologized before he left towards the stairs that lead upstairs. He motioned Levi to follow him.

The vampire was happy to be away from the older werewolf and went after Eren without a backward glance. He didn't want to see what kind of looks they might possibly be giving him. He had heard enough and didn't need another reminder how badly he had fucked up. Why was Grisha so angry that he had slept with his son when it was part of the deal so to speak? Maybe the old goat was just overprotective and thought that his son's innocence had been tarnished by him. Levi almost sneered at the thought alone. Levi was angry at how he was blamed for something he had not even considered doing unless Eren wanted to. _Seduced the young wolf? Bah! _Levi had been the one being seduced if anyone. Eren's father seemed to think that Eren was some innocent victim here.

Eren stomped his way up the stairs, leading Levi to his room where apparently he would be caged for the time being. Levi could understand that. Who'd want a blood sucking incubus running aloof, right? Levi was bitter for being called an incubus. He had a lot to prove if he wanted to get out of room that they were now entering. Levi was pleasantly surprised by the look of it. He had expected a bed like his own but instead Eren had a big mattress in one corner, topped with lots of pillows and several blankets. Seemed more like a nest than a bed if Levi was honest.

Eren marched to the window and drew the curtains close and made sure there would be no direct sunlight would be coming through. "I need to get something thicker to cover this," Eren said rather absentmindedly and grabbed a blanket. He improvised with it hanging it over the window. "If this is not enough tell me," he told Levi.

The vampire could hear that Eren was still angry. He could see how tense Eren was by the way his shoulders and jaw were set.

"It'll do fine," Levi answered. He peeked out of the door to see if anyone was following them but saw no one at the end of the stairs. He did hear soft murmur of talking coming from the living room. He drew the door close for a moment to have a word with Eren. "Will things be alright between you and your father?" he asked as he was concerned for their safety just a little bit. He would not forget the way Eren had defended him by turning against his father. If someone had done something like that in his clan... oh wait, he had! But what Levi had done had been worse. Much worse.

"Yeah," Eren was looking at nothing in particular. What on earth was his father thinking when threatening Levi like that? Was his father going to as far as try to get rid of Levi? Surely not. Eren only hoped so. He was scared of what the next few days would bring. Would they be able make his father see that there was nothing they could do. It was a depressing thought after all but Eren had been facing the fact for weeks now that he'd be with Levi till he'd die.

The presence of the vampire was growing on him too. Levi was there in the back of his mind all the time and Eren had found himself thinking things like, _I should get back to Levi,_ when he was not in line of sight with the said vampire. Eren had enjoyed his stay at Levi's home up until the point of almost being killed. The last weeks of their stay Levi had accompanied him to everywhere he went. Eren had taken advantage of the big fenced grounds of the clan home. He had felt free in those moments when he ran in his wolf form, despite knowing that Levi was watching him. He hoped that he could give Levi the same feeling of freedom one day.

How on earth were they going to solve this mess? Would his father come to terms with this development or would they be forced to leave?

"Don't worry," Levi tried to comfort him, moving close and placing a hand on Eren's shoulder. "Your father is hot headed like you so I'm sure I can handle him."

Eren let out a humorless laugh. "He threatened to kill you and you say you can handle that?"

"This is hardly the most dangerous situation I've ever been in. I'm capable of handling one werewolf if he decides to attack." Or Levi hoped so. He did not know the true strength of a werewolf after all.

"He won't unless you provoke him," Eren told him. "At least that is how he deals with the internal issues within the pack but since... I don't really know what he might do," Eren confessed. He had never seen his father so angry before. "I don't feel good about leaving you here..." He wanted to stay with Levi. His heart clenched uncomfortably at the thought of leaving his mate alone even if it was just for the night.

"I'll be fine. Your mother seems to be on your side at least a little, hmm?" Maybe it meant that she would be on Levi's side too, at least somewhat.

Eren smiled sadly. "She always says that she'd do anything for her children."

"Then let's believe her." Levi felt better knowing there was someone with common sense around here. "She has a calming effect on your father," Levi commented. He had noticed how easily she could make Grisha calm down with a few well chosen words.

"Yeah." They both were grateful for that.

They fell into silence for a moment. Levi broke it with an announcement that felt rather awkward right at that moment. "I need to feed tomorrow." He was feeling uneasy but his hunger could wait until the next time he saw Eren.

"Oh okay."

"_EREN!"_ Grisha's voice bellowed from the downstairs.

"I gotta go," Eren said hastily. "I'll see you tomorrow and yeah I'll feed you."

"I'll see you at sunset then," Levi called out after the young wolf who was already making his way out of the room. There was a whole day to get through just by waiting for Eren to come back to him.

Eren paused at the door, feeling uneasy overall. He just couldn't leave like this. He hesitated.

"_EREN!" _Grisha yelled again.

"Coming!" Eren called out to him. When he turned to face Levi again the vampire had snuck upon him, standing right there making Eren jump a little.

"We will fix this because I don't want to exchange one prison to another," Levi pointed out. He was stuck in this room even if it was comfortable and all. Still he didn't want to get stuck here for the rest of the days. "If we can't then we are leaving."

Eren nodded understanding Levi's point of view. Heck, he'd be pissed if he was in Levi's shoes. "I'll see you tomorrow." Eren hesitated once more but then leaned down giving Levi's cheek a playful, quick lick.

"Hmph." Levi rubbed his cheek watching the werewolf retreat hastily down the stairs. "Damn brat."

* * *

><p>When Eren and Levi had disappeared up the stairs the two werewolves conversed.<p>

"Serves you right to get bitten," Carla said to her mate as she carefully peeled the shirt away from Grisha's the injure arm. "You went too far."

"I'm sorry."

"I'm not the one you should be saying sorry to. Eren's mate seems to know more of their mating than Eren does or even us. We must ask him about the bond they share. It cannot be trivial if Eren was ready to stand up for him because of it."

Grisha sighed. "I cannot believe our son has... how on earth could he end up mating that creature!" he hissed in frustration.

"Eren explained it. He said they had no choice. Eren might be dead right now if he hadn't mated the vampire. He made the most logical choice he could. I'm not happy about it either but if it means our son is alive then we don't have much of a choice but accept it."

Grisha knew she spoke the words of wisdom. He had always been able to count on her when things got tough. She would always know what was the right thing to do. "I'll apologize properly tomorrow for my behaviour. Doesn't make me any less angry though. That bastard."

Carla licked the wound clean before getting some clean linen to wrap it up with. "I wouldn't curse him yet. We do not know if Eren is pregnant yet. His scent is still normal."

"If that unholy bat has managed to impregnate our son I'll-"

"You'll do nothing!" Carla hissed under her breath. "You know exactly how hard it is to lose pups. Eren will surely miscarry if something drastic happens," Carla's anger flared, her tone hard. The thought of someone harming innocent pups was disgusting.

"If he is pregnant at all," Grisha stated.

"Are we going to tell him about the possibility or do we wait until we are sure of his condition?" She finished wrapping up the wound.

Grisha smiled his thanks. "We'll wait." Then he proceeded to call for his son to come back down. Who knew if that incubus would strike again when they were not looking. "EREN!"

His son appeared downstairs after the second call, looking mildly miffed but with a small blush on his cheeks. Grisha narrowed his eyes as he eyed the appearance of his son carefully. Nothing seemed to be amiss. There was something still bothering Grisha, a vital piece of information that he needed. "How long ago did you mate with … him?" Grisha asked looking worried.

"Huh?" Eren looked surprised to be asked that. "Errmm.. it was two moon's ago. I was worried the blood bond would not be enough and that I'd hurt him unintentionally if we were caged in the same cell at full moon."

Grisha was not pleased to hear this. He gave Carla a worried look and then returned his gaze on his son. "When was the last time you mated with him?"

Eren looked down at his feet and blushed. "Just before full moon," he answered quietly. Eren didn't really want to share private information like that but he did not want to fight his father about this. He knew that if he didn't co-operate then they would end up in another shouting match.

"That was a few days ago!"

Eren's blush deepened. Why on earth did they need to know this anyway?

"Grisha," Carla reprimanded her mate seeing how uncomfortable Eren was with the questions. "I think we need to accept the fact that our son has been mated too long to switch mates now." She gave Grisha a knowing look.

Grisha sighed, understanding the look she gave him. "You are right but," his tone got serious, "You will not be in any intimate contact with that thing upstairs until you are of age."

Eren's head snapped up, his eyes were wide. "What?!" There would be almost two years until he'd be able to... "No," Eren protested. "You cannot do this. I need to feed him!"

"That you can do under our supervision," Grisha's tone was stern. He was not going to let that incubus seduce his son again, not while he stayed under his roof.

Eren gulped at the thought of having someone witness the feedings. "But.. father!"

"You better get going now. Armin and his grandfather should not be kept up awake because of you."

Eren had lost this battle but not the war. He resolutely walked out of the house towards Armin's. This was not over yet.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

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><p>"Was what I did so wrong?" Eren asked from his best friend Armin on whose bed they were curled upon. Eren had spend the last hour or so explaining what had happened to him and Armin had listened quietly. Eren felt at ease telling Armin about how he felt about the whole thing. He didn't think his father would understand if he said that he thought it as natural to have Levi in his life now. His father didn't listen at all.<p>

But Armin did. Normally Eren would have curled up to Armin's side, seeking comfort but not now. He didn't want to touch anyone but Levi. He was buried under a blanket, keeping to himself physically at least. He missed the vampire. He missed his presence now that he couldn't have it.

"No," Armin answered his question. "As you said, you didn't have a choice." He could see the logic behind Eren's decision. Armin himself would have probably done the same if he had been in a similar situation. He felt proud of his friend because it showed how much courage Eren had to put himself into that predicament. Someone else would have chosen death over mating a creature that doesn't belong into the same species.

"Then why am I being punished for it?"

Armin sighed, tugging at the blanket around Eren's legs. "You are not being punished. Your father is just upset and he is trying to solve the situation to best of his abilities. He doesn't want you to get hurt." Armin could understand Grisha's point of view though. Eren coming home mated from what they thought to be just an outburst of anger that resulted in Eren running away from home.

"But he is hurting me! There is nothing to solve about my mating. I'm with Levi and that's that. I can't go back on my word." God how his father could be so god damn stubborn. Eren cursed him for the millionth time in his head for being so.

"Give your father some time. He'll come around," Armin tried to comfort Eren the best he could. There really was nothing else Eren could do at this moment than wait. Tomorrow he'd talk with his father again and maybe a good night's sleep would bring some ease to the situation. Armin was not surprised that Grisha had seen Eren's actions as a sign of defiance at first.

Eren had had a fight with Grisha, resulting him to run away from home in huff of anger. It was not the first time Eren had done it but he had never gone so far as this time apparently to be caught by humans no less. As far as Armin knew, the fight had been about Eren's upcoming duties of pack leadership whenever Grisha decided to give it up to his son.

Eren hoped that Armin was right about his father coming around. "But what if he doesn't? What if he tries to force me to try and mate someone else?" He could see that as something his father might be willing to make him try despite the risk of endangering Eren's life.

"No one can force you to do anything," Armin stated firmly. He could understand Eren's fear as Grisha had been hinting for few years now that Eren should mate someone like Mikasa when the time came.

"But he can try! He even threatened to kill my mate for it! What am I supposed to do, Armin?" Eren was getting frantic as he thought of the possibility that his father might do something to Levi while he was gone. What if the two fought and Eren wasn't there to stop them? What if Levi died? What would it feel like to lose your mate? Eren was building up fear on his own as he started to panic.

Armin could smell the fear emitting from his friend. "Calm down," Armin's calm voice reached him.

Eren let those thoughts slide with a sigh but still something was there to remind him of the situation that he was now in. "I can't when my whole being is itching to go back home." As if to prove his point Eren wiggled around. He wasn't kidding, he was starting to feel itchy. He had never been gone this long and this far away from Levi yet. He always had had the chance of returning but not now.

"That isn't normal," Armin said more to himself than to Eren. He had never heard of werewolves being antsy about being separated from their mate. But the proof was right in front of him as he watched Eren fidget. There was a certain degree of reluctance to be observed among newly mated couples but it did not manifest in any physical way nor was it a real problem. It was more due to affection than anything else but in Eren's case that wasn't necessarily what was behind it.

"Oh no, don't get all medical on me now," Eren said, rolling onto his back trying to relax. Armin was his father's apprentice. Grisha was a doctor and offered his services to all werewolves and some humans in the surrounding area. Armin had taken an interest in the science of health a few years ago. Armin was always keen on studying the causes of illnesses and Eren was his favourite target for practice.

"Just no, no. I'm fine." Eren hoped that Armin wouldn't start prodding him with any weird gadgets.

"How are you feeling?" Armin asked and Eren groaned. He was genuinely interested in what could possibly be the cause for the itching that Eren was experiencing.

"Armin, please." Eren wasn't in the mood for Armin's medical checks.

Deciding to take a wider approach Armin asked, "Have you been feeling any different since the mating?"

Eren sighed as he knew that Armin would not relent until he told him everything like a good boy. Even if he did not like it. "Yes."

"How's so?" Armin asked sounding genuinely interested in what Eren would say.

Eren thought back to how it had felt like before he had mated Levi and then after. "I feel like I'm not alone anymore. Suddenly I got this other presence or being to share everything with. It's not like I can read his thoughts or he mine but sometimes I feel as if I knew exactly what he is thinking. Especially when we are close. The feeling itself dissipates as we get further away. Right now, I can't tell how he is feeling or anything," Eren noticed himself babbling. "Other than I really want to get back to him." He didn't want to elaborate on details.

"Sounds like you are infatuated," Armin made an accusation to get to the bottom of this. It could be that Eren had feelings for the vampire, he wouldn't know until Eren told him.

"I'm not!" Eren declared with passion. How on earth had Armin reached that conclusion? "It is not like that.. it's like there is this pull that I cannot resist. A voice in the back of my mind telling me to go and see Levi, to get close to him. It's not even remotely sexual. It's like, I can relax when I have my eyes on him." He didn't know any better way to explain it.

"I presume this is the bond that you said you two have?" Eren had not been very descriptive on telling him about it.

"I don't know. Is it? I don't now what being mated is supposed to be like." Eren suddenly found his hands really interesting target to look at. Thanks to his father he had little idea what he had been supposed to expect. His father had always said, _"One day, Eren. I'll tell you when you are ready."_

"No one knows what it is supposed to feel like, Eren. But I can tell you that you are not supposed to feel that sort of pull. It's not normal, not to us. It has to be a vampire thing. You mentioned that you swore a blood oath? There has to be something special right there. It has to be-"

Eren interrupted Armin before the blond went to full analysis mode. "Armin!"

"Sorry, I just find it very interesting. I wonder if your mate would be willing to talk about it in detail?"

Eren sighed. "I have a feeling that he will have to. My father will be squeezing every detail he can get out of Levi."

They fell into a brief silence. Armin's gaze was set somewhere on the wall. Eren knew that look, Armin was mulling over the things he had just learned. Then Armin turned his eyes on Eren once again. "How does it feel like when he bites you?"

Eren looked away from Armin's face quickly. How was he supposed to explain how it feels? He licked his lips nervously, trying to figure out what to say but as seconds passed he knew he was running out of time.

"Eren?" Armin inquired. "Does it hurt that much that you cannot talk about it?"

"No!" Eren was quick to defend Levi. "It doesn't hurt. Okay the initial bite does hurt but then..." Eren fell silent. It felt too private to share.

Armin was looking at him with wide expecting eyes, clearly waiting for elaboration. "Hmm?"

Eren swallowed. "I don't want to talk about it," he hurried to say. It was none of Armin's business anyway.

"So I guess what they say is true then?"

"And what do they say, Armin?" Eren asked sounding annoyed.

"That it is highly pleasurable like as if you'd gone to heaven." The damn blob-head had the decency to smirk.

Eren wanted to smack him but he blushed and hid his face in his hands instead. "You devil! If I had known you knew already I would have.. why did you say so in the first place?!"

"'Cause it is so much fun to tease you!" Armin giggled. Once he was done with his giggly fit he said, "So..." Armin wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, smirking again. "What it is like with a vampire?"

Eren couldn't believe what he was hearing. "You are a pervert," he scoffed. It didn't take much to guess what Armin really wanted to know.

"You are the one mated, not me," Armin pointed out.

"That is so low of you! How does make me a pervert?"

"Oh come on, Eren! I want to hear all the juicy details."

"No, I'm not here to satisfy your curiosity."

"Please, Eren?"

"No. You have to wait until you find a mate of your own to know all those juicy details you're so fond of."

"Come on, you can tell me. I'm not going to tell anyone," Armin pleaded gently poking Eren's shoulder.

"You are horrible, you know that?"

"So are you going to tell me?"

"No!" Eren cried out. "First of all it is none of your business." Eren sat up, gathering the blankets over his lap and considered wrapping them around himself in protection.

"Okay okay, calm down. I am only curious. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to but can you blame me? You are mated to a vampire! That has to be exciting."

"That's one way to put it." Eren had to smile. Being mated to Levi had not been dull at all yet, in both good and bad.

Armin watched him for a while. He had his arms over his bent knees, leaning his head against those arms. "It's good to see you smile," he said.

Eren hummed absentmindedly as his thoughts were returning to what Levi was up to right now. Eren looked at the window of Armin's room and saw nothing but darkness. Levi would be wide awake until the sun came up. Eren wondered if his father realized that his sleeping rhythm was all wonky because of Levi. Eren wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

He touched the bite mark on his shoulder.

"Can I see?" Armin interrupted his thoughts with his question.

"What?"

"The mark, silly. Can I see it?" Armin wanted to see what a mark made by non-werewolf looked like. Would it be the same or?

Eren eyed him suspiciously. "Why?" He clutched the under robe that he was wearing a bit closer to his chest.

"Why are you so suspicious of me?" Armin asked. "I am not going to touch it. You know I would never do that." Bite marks were a private thing. Touching someone's bite mark was offensive thing to do unless you were their mate. Not only was it offensive but also painful.

Eren felt conscious of showing it to Armin but he did so anyway. He pulled his robe back over his shoulder to show Armin the mark that Levi had left on him.

Armin was surprised to see how clean the bite mark was. There was two precise fang entry points and then clean rows of teeth marks. "That's amazing," Armin said. "So pretty."

Eren blushed.

"It's so clean. Nothing like the ones I usually see."

Eren pulled his robe back over his shoulder and closed it tight. "Are you done with your hype?" He felt silly for wanting to hide something from his best friend. He had been shirtless in Armin's presence more time he could count but he came to remember the way Levi had insisted he covered himself in the presence of others.

"When did you become so modest, Eren?"

"I'm not modest. I just don't like it that you are staring at me like I'm some sort of specimen." It would have sounded silly to explain to Armin that Levi did not want him to prance around without clothes. It was not a big deal but Eren could see the possible hassle it would cause. How would Levi get used to this pack and the life with his people? Eren didn't know if the vampire would be able to adapt.

"I'm sorry that wasn't my intention."

Eren noticed how he was spacing out and forgot about Armin being with him. Ah, damn. He was not supposed to be thinking about Levi this much, right? Armin had said that the pull he was feeling was not normal. _It's just in your head_, he kept telling himself.

"Eren?" Armin asked when his friend was in his own world again. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, yeah," Eren answered but he sounded unconvincing. The itch was getting worse. He rubbed the bite mark through the robe as it made him feel better. A temporary fix but a fix nevertheless. He cursed under his breath quietly. How was he supposed to make it through the night when he wouldn't be able to sleep like this?

"Is the mark itching?"

"No, everything is. God damn, I hate my father so much."

"Don't say that."

"Without his stupid decision to separate me from Levi I'd be just fine." Eren sighed trying to find a better position. "I don't think I will be able to sleep tonight at all. I'm sorry if I keep you up all night," he apologized feeling guilty already.

"I don't think that is possible," Armin said and yawned. "I got up early so I will probably go out like a light at some point."

Eren smiled relieved to hear that. "Good."

While Eren was struggling through the night with his itch, Levi was no better. He sat on Eren's bed, staring at the walls. He had gone through the stuff that Eren had in his room with his eyes several times by now.

There wasn't that much in Eren's room. There was a drawer in one wall and a desk on the other. The desk was obviously the center of Eren's attention in the room and Levi had spend quite a while looking at the stuff on it. At the far side of the desk there were lines of woodcarvings. Birds, wolves, bears, deer and so on. Above the desk there were two small shelves full of those figurines. If Levi had gone closer he would have seen that the quality of those figurines got better and better as they descended towards the desk.

The figurines were really the only distinguishable thing in the room. Everything else was plain. If Levi could make any sort of analysis out of the state of the room he concluded that Eren paid attention to things that mattered to him and not to the whole picture. Because the bed was another thing that was full of color and different type of pillows. There was even a stuffed animal toys in there. Obviously old as they bore the signs of been used for quite a while.

Eren held sentiment to things like those apparently.

It was a sudden and nice change to feel his bite mark tingle with the ghost of Eren's touch. A small smile found its way on his lips as he undid his cravat with care, folding it on the bed next to him. He opened his shirt to slip his hand to touch the mark that had not healed completely yet. It was tender to touch so he did so carefully not to open the wound.

He cursed Eren in his mind for being a damn beast but at the same time he was oddly pleased. He had a proof right here underneath his fingers that Eren wasn't going anywhere.

"_Mine."_ Eren's voice popped into his mind and he let out a content sigh. Eren had been right, Levi mused, he now had Eren by his side even if he would not have anyone else.

The night was going to be a long one. Some time later when he had been confined inside this room he heard footsteps go past the door. He suspected that someone was keeping a close watch on him. The room started to feel like a prison more and more as each moment passed on. He tried not to linger on the thought though.

He wished Eren was here to distract him. He'd do almost anything to have the werewolf here to talk about whatever was on his mind.

But he took what he got and those were the ghost like touches he felt on his shoulder throughout the night which he responded in kind.

Levi got ready for bed before the sun peeked behind the horizon. He was expecting to see Eren the following evening after some well reserved sleep.

What he didn't expect was the door opening quietly a few hours later. He opened his eyes tiredly to see Eren sneak into the room as quietly as he could.

Levi was too tired to ask what he was doing here and simply lifted the covers to invite him to share the bed with him.

Eren moved silently and curled next to his mate where he finally got some sleep as well.

That was how Eren's mother found them three hours later, Eren sleeping under Levi cradling Levi in his arms while the vampire had his ear pressed against Eren's chest, both soundly asleep.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25**

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><p>Eren woke up with a content sigh. He felt so much better now after he had come back to Levi this morning. He saw light seeping into the room from behind the makeshift fixed curtains. He made a mental note to fix them properly later today.<p>

Levi stirred when Eren had and groaned tiredly. "Five more minutes," he mumbled wrapping himself tighter around Eren.

Eren found it extremely cute. He had to bring a hand to cover his mouth to prevent himself from letting out a giggle. His stomach muscles convulsed with the silent laughter.

"Eren, stop moving," Levi murmured demanding.

"Sorry," Eren whispered. He raised his hand on top of Levi's head petting his hair gently. The vampire murmured something which Eren didn't quite catch.

Eren almost snatched his hand away when he realize how much affection he felt towards his mate. Here he was petting him like Levi was some pet cat. He had known Levi for such a short time after all, just a little over a month.

But...

He could not help it that he was... what was it again?

All he knew was that he did not want to lose Levi. Yes, that would be it. He was just bound to him and he was not able to leave him. It was the bond. It made him act weird and stuff.

Once Eren was convinced that he had settled the matter he did his all to get away from Levi. He needed to go downstairs to have some food. Besides he was dreading the reaction that his parents might have. Although his father usually was not home at this time of the day so there was a possibility he would not run into him. If he had any luck at all.

"Honey, you should be grateful your father had left for work before you sneaked in," were Carla's first words as Eren descended down the stairs later in the afternoon. Grisha usually left early in the morning if he had to make his way to treat someone who lived outside their village. "If he caught you going against his wishes..." she left the rest unsaid.

"I know," Eren defended himself. "I just couldn't sleep at Armin's at all."

Carla smiled at her son tenderly. She was not angry with him. How could she be when she had seen such a tender scene when she had been in Eren's room to drop off some fresh sheets. "If you are worried about your mate's safety, don't be. He is not going to be harmed as long as I have a say in it," she promised. She would understand Grisha's decision if he decided to drive the vampire away but killing him would not be an answer to anything. It would only cause heartache much more severe than driving the vampire away would.

Eren was relieved to hear such words come out his mother's mouth. He smiled back at her, knowing she meant each word.

"There is something we need to discuss," she said, her voice taking a more severe tone. "I presumed that you'd be more open with me than your father."

Eren took a seat at the kitchen table, waiting for his mother to tell him what this was about.

Carla offered him something to eat. Being genuinely happy to see her son back home safely, eating away food, she but her feelings aside as she continued with the topic that she was about to brought up. "This is rather personal question but an important one," she begun. She didn't know how to ask the next question. "Which one of you... did you.. was he on top when you mated?"

Eren coughed as he had not expected to be asked about that by his mother no less. He blushed as he had hard time admitting it to his mother. "Yes."

"I see," she stated. "Were you by any chance overcome by lust before you initiated intimate contact?" She asked in rather stiff manner.

What was with her formal type of speaking, Eren wondered. "Umm.."

"I'm not trying to pry into your private life, Eren. I'm asking because this is important."

"Why?"

"Answer the question first."

What could be so important that caused his mother to ask these questions? Eren saw no harm in answering them as he could not see how any of this information could be used against him. "Yeah, I did."

His mother sighed. "Alright, listen to me carefully," she started. "I know your father and I made a mistake with not telling you all that there is to know about mating and now it has possibly backfired on us. There is a reason why your father is upset about you mating a vampire. There is a possibility that you have undergone a heat and as a result you might be pregnant."

"What?" Eren's voice was quiet as he could not quite believe what she had just said. "But that's.."

"Unlikely? Yes, but we have a couple here who has children. Christa and Annie are Reiner and Bertolt's biological children. The girls were born before they came here so you didn't witness the pregnancy itself."

Eren had hard time coming up with any reason why he had not been told about this. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Because we thought that you wouldn't need to know until you were ready to be mated. We were planning on telling you once you were close to twenty and the time for you to chose your partner was closer."

Eren was not happy to hear those words again. "Why was it so important for me to chose a mate right after coming of age? Why couldn't I chose at my own pace?" None of this mattered anymore but it still made him angry.

"Oh honey, you know that your father is stubborn but he would not force you into anything. He just had expectations for you and it is better to mate early to ensure the survival of the pack. I would have supported you with whatever decision you would have made and I do support you right at this moment. This cannot be easy for you to be mated to someone who you did not chose of your own free will." Carla had clasped hold of Eren's hands while she spoke. She gave them a squeeze. "I talked with your father about your situation and we are worried about the consequences it will have."

"You mean if I'm pregnant?" some bitterness colored his voice. Was this going to be another thing his father was going to have a deciding opinion about?

"Your father expressed a worry that if you are pregnant, the pups might not be _normal_."

"What? He thinks they are not going to be good enough or something?" His anger made him forget the initial shock of the possibility of pregnancy.

"No," Carla hurried to say. She did not want to repeat what Grisha had actually said so she tried to find a more subtle way to say it.

"Then what did he say?" Eren was not going to raise his voice to his mother because she was not the one to blame but Eren's tone was clipped. He could see sadness in her eyes over what she was going to say.

"Eren, nothing is certain and all of this is speculation since as far as we know this sort of union has ever happened before."

"You are stalling, mother."

"The pups might be mentally unstable because of their heritage."

Eren growled, his ears flicking in annoyance. "That is so much bullshit."

"Language," Carla warned him.

"I just..." Eren trailed off. Why was he getting so upset about this? There was no way he was pregnant, right? He hung his head as he thought of how he had indeed been very forward with his sexual drive. He had not even stopped to think about what it could mean. What if it was true what his parents were suggesting...

"Eren," Carla tugged at Eren's hands. "Nothing is lost yet."

_What does that even mean?_

"Your scent has not changed yet so there is still a chance that you are not pregnant."

_Why would it be such a bad thing? _

"Can I go back to my room?" Eren asked out of the blue. He needed to get away.

Carla offered him a sad smile. "Yes."

Eren walked away, returning to his room quietly as not to wake Levi. He sat on the chair by the desk and watched the vampire sleep. What if he was pregnant? What would Levi say? Levi wasn't the issue here. He would be able to handle Levi, hopefully.

But he did not like what his father had implied. Eren had had a brief hope that, _Hey, we might have a family after all, _before it was ruined by his father. All of this in such a small span of time. Eren was tired of even thinking about his father already. He just wanted to get on with his life, get back to normal things, normal life and have the time to swallow all of the changes at his own pace.

He felt somewhat numb at how fast he had to adjust to things.

* * *

><p>Levi woke up to a little sounds that had not been there when he had fallen asleep. As if small pebbles were falling on the floor type of sound. When he opened his eyes he saw Eren carving something at the desk with a mask of concentration on his face. The sound came from the small pieces of wood that were left behind.<p>

He moved and brought Eren's attention to himself. Eren had changed out of the robes back into his own style of clothing, a cotton shirt and a pair of pants that looked unmistakably made of some sort of leather.

"Oh hi," Eren said quickly looking at him before finishing some detail on his carving and then putting it away.

"Hey," Levi answered, sitting up and stretching. He had not thought that Eren's bed could be comfortable to sleep in when he first saw it. But he soon forgot the comfort of the bed as he could hear Eren's heart beat across the room. The drumming noise of it was seducing his senses. He had gone too long without feeding. It was completely different thing when he knew that his meal was juts a few feet away instead of the uncertainty of ever eating again.

He savoured the moment, licking his lips and closing his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Eren asked.

"Hmm," Levi hummed his ears feasting on the sound of that drum inside Eren's chest. "Come here," he told the werewolf. He partly expected Eren to say no but Eren laid down his tools and craft project before coming over to sit next to him.

Levi opened his eyes wide enough to see Eren sit half way facing him. Levi brought his hand to Eren's chin, turning his head away from his own. Eren took a sharp breath intake but did nothing to stop him.

Levi gave Eren's neck a soft lick before latching his lips on that skin. His fangs piercing it as his hand moved from Eren's chin to his jaw. Eren stayed still, his heart rate picking up rising into insane heights.

Levi loved every second of it.

He felt the pressure of each beat of Eren's heart against his fangs and tongue. As Eren's emotions clashed with his own, melting together, Levi felt frisky enough to drop his hand from Eren's jaw to his lap. He massaged Eren's thigh and the werewolf shivered under his touch. The first to moan this time was Levi. He managed to elicit one out of Eren by brushing his hand over Eren's crotch.

Eren's own hand shot to grasp Levi's and push it against his crotch with more force. "Aah, fuck," Eren whispered. Why on earth did it have to feel so good?

The question and the pondering made Eren lose touch with reality for a moment.

"What on earth? Eren!" Suddenly Grisha's voice cut into the moment like a knife.

Eren had missed the sound of footsteps and the door opening. His eyes were wide and his mouth open in shock.

Levi retreated with a quick lick to prevent blood from spilling from Eren's neck.

"Didn't I tell you that you are not supposed to feed him without us keeping an eye on you two!" Grisha sounded angry.

But so was Eren. "I feed him as I please!" The young werewolf jumped to his feet ready to defend his cause.

"Don't you dare raise your voice with me," Grisha growled but Eren wasn't backing down.

"I do not care what you think, Father. I will feed him when he asks and not when you say it is okay. He is my mate and thus my responsibility." Eren stood his ground on this. He would not start to dance around the fact that Levi might be hungry and he'd need to deny him what was rightfully his.

"And here he was seducing you again. Eren, you don't fully comprehend the consequences of those actions if you let him go too far."

"I _know_ that I might get pregnant," Eren said firmly. He missed the surprised look on Levi's face but he felt his shock. He had intended to tell Levi about it somewhat differently.

"I see your mother told you," Grisha said much more calmly. "But that doesn't mean you can spend time alone with him. There is a chance that you have been spared."

_Spared?_ Grisha made it sound like he was going to catch the plague. "There is also a chance that we cannot even breed," Eren said with so much resentment that it made Levi pause his myriad thoughts to ponder what were Eren's true feelings on the matter.

"That is true but as I said, let's not take any risks. We'll know in couple of weeks what the truth is. I will stand behind my decision, Eren. I will not permit you to sleep with him under any circumstances until you are of age."

"But-" Eren opened his mouth to protest.

"It is not up for debate! You are under my rule until you turn twenty and you know that."

Eren clenched his jaw defiantly.

"Alright," to everyone's surprise it was Levi who said it.

"What did you say?" Grisha asked.

Levi straightened up, standing by Eren's side. "I said, alright. Eren shall remain untouched if that is what settles this."

"But Levi!" Eren protested. "It's full year and a half!"

"That goes by quickly enough," Levi reasoned.

"You gotta be kidding me," Eren hushed not believing that his mate was agreeing to it.

"But only if it turns out he is not pregnant," Levi laid down his terms.

"What?" Grisha asked and his voice shared some of the disbelief that Eren's had had.

"If it turns out that Eren is pregnant I will not let anyone stand between him and me. He is mine to protect." Levi was not going to let Eren go out of his sight if there was even a smallest chance that children could be born between them.

Eren looked at the vampire with wide eyes. What made Levi say such things? Eren was speechless as he remembered how Levi had been denied the chance of children with anyone else by the council. He also remembered the pain in his being when they had talked about family and how Levi had practically none left.

"The damage will be already done by that point," Levi explained. "I do, however, promise that if we now have a child no more will be created until he is of age."

Eren wasn't sure he liked how Levi was hammering deals with his father. "Wha-what?"

"That sounds reasonable enough," Grisha mused.

Eren looked between his father and his mate. "The only thing missing is you two shaking hands," he huffed.

"Deal?" Levi asked offering his hand to Grisha for a shake.

Eren gaped at him.

Grisha took Levi's hand and shook it. "Deal."

So Eren's fate was sealed.

"We'll know in less than two weeks what your future holds. Until then, Eren, you are not allowed to be alone with him," Grisha said. "I'm giving you two minutes then come downstairs. We have things to discuss." Soon after Grisha was out of the room, leaving the two alone.

"How could you!" Eren hissed at Levi. "You signed me away like a prize cow!"

"I did not," Levi argued bluntly but found Eren's example funny. "He would not have given us any room to breathe unless we made that bargain."

"But what if... what if I am not..."

"Don't worry about it," Levi told him. "If it is not meant to be then we wait that year and a half and try again." He still hadn't fully wrapped his mind around the fact that children would somehow fit into the equation that was their life as mates.

Eren was surprised. "You mean you really want to have children?" He needed confirmation for the fact as he was overwhelmed by it. It would mean a lot if Levi was on the same side as he was.

"Of course."

For Eren those words made it easier for him to breath.

Picking upon the stress Levi touched Eren's arm softly. "Everything is alright," Levi's voice was calming. "We will figure things out as they come, okay?"

Eren nodded. "Yeah, I might not be compatible with you at all, you know." Eren gave Levi a sad smile. It would be wonderful if they could have children. Then the future of the pack wouldn't look so bleak. Eren had not had any time to really consider what it all would or could mean. He decided to do as Levi said and face things as they came.

"Yeah." It seemed the only appropriate answer to give. Levi hoped for the best. He needed to do some serious thinking over the issue. The probability of having children had not crossed his mind at all. He hadn't known that werewolf males were able to carry. It seemed surreal and crazy but if what he had been told was true then... he could only hope it was true!

They had fell into a silence which was then interrupted by Grisha shouting from downstairs, "_Eren!_"

Eren gave Levi one more quick smile. "I gotta go." Then he left to listen what his father had to say.


	26. Chapter 26

_Children._

Not exactly what Levi had thought would even be possible.

Not exactly something he had prepared for at all since being together with Eren.

It wasn't a certain fact and yet he could hardly keep the spark of hope at bay. He should not get too excited about the idea, he knew that. _Just wait and see_, he told himself. But what if... just what if they could have children? They could build their own clan over the years! That is if Eren felt the same way about the matter.

Levi paced inside Eren's room as he let all the possibilities pass through his mind.

He didn't know how long he had been at it but when he glanced at the window he saw through the cracks that the light outside was fading fast.

That was when Eren opened the door looking extremely tired. "God, my father won't shut up," he whispered and closed the door. "He just told me what I need to do to be the proper successor and what he expects of me."

"_You need to be ready whenever your time to take over comes. As you know being a pack leader is just not barking orders at others. You have to know all that goes on within the pack and have the respect of the pack,"_ His father had said and continued to babble on and on about things Eren was going to learn to be a great leader.

Eren had forced himself to listen but he was tired after such a little amount of sleep. "He wants to start my _training_ as soon as possible," the werewolf growled and wanted nothing else than slump on his bed and sleep.

But that was not why he was here. Eren yawned running a hand across his face. "There's a banquet tonight," he told Levi. "I know you don't eat food but I thought you'd like to get out of this room and this house, right?" Eren asked with a tilt of his head. "Besides it would look really odd if I showed up without my mate."

"A banquet?"

"It's a weekly thing. Every Wednesday night the pack gathers for a meal together," Eren explained. "It depends on the season what the food is like and... never mind, it doesn't really matter." Eren waved his hand dismissively. He was too tired to explain anyway.

Levi chuckled at the young wolf. "Maybe we should stay and you could get some sleep instead?" Levi suggested thinking that maybe then Eren wouldn't fall asleep at the dinner. He had a feeling that was going to happen.

"No, I'm fine. I'll sleep like a log with full stomach."

"If you say so." If they were going out and Levi got to meet other members of the pack then there was something he'd like to do before doing so. "Is there any chance of me getting a bath or something before this banquet happens? I'd really like to wash myself." He had been wearing the same clothes for several days now and it was starting aggravate him.

"Of course," Eren answered. "Gather up what you are going to wear and I'll get you a towel." With that the werewolf was gone out of the room again.

Levi picked himself a clean set of clothes. He would need to ask Eren if he could get his clothes cleaned as well some time soon. He had not brought much with him and he would run out of clean ones soon enough.

Eren returned with two towels in his hands. "I'll join you for washing as well."

Levi found the notion peculiar after being told not to seduce the young wolf and now they were going bathing together? "I thought we were not supposed to be alone together?"

Eren let out a chuckle. "We are not exactly alone when we leave the house."

When they left, Eren gave his mother a wave on their way out. He stopped right before they left through the front door and turned to Levi. "You should walk right beside me. If you trail behind me it only shows you are inferior to me," Eren advised his mate.

That made sense so Levi took his place right beside Eren as they left the house. Levi had no idea where they were going as he had no idea how the village was structured.

"Ah." Eren suddenly realized something. "We will probably get a house of our own at some point."

Levi's ears perked at that. "Our own house?"

"Yeah since we are mated and all that," Eren said looking at the ground. "But that won't happen until I'm of age, I think."

"Good, because I want to have some input in what it will look like," Levi said as he realized the possibilities of building your own home. He could not wait to get out of Eren's room.

"Of course. The idea is to have a house that we want to have." Eren quickly added though, "Within reason of course."

"We have time," Levi stated as a few things popped into his already. "I wonder what would you say if our house didn't have any windows?" he asked after he pondered the matter for a while.

Eren smiled. He understood where Levi was coming from in this. "Anything is possible." He reached for Levi's hand giving it a soft squeeze.

"Great."

It was indeed great but not because of the windowless future house but because Eren heard the genuine delight in Levi's voice and could sense it as well. At least there was something that vampire had to look forward to with some happiness.

They had been here for one night and so much had happened already. Eren hoped the disagreements with his father would soon be behind them.

They slipped into a narrow passage between two buildings, with Eren leading the way. What Levi saw ahead was only bushes. He didn't need to wonder for long where they were as they came to a small clearing just beyond those bushes. He could hear the sound of running water.

Eren stopped by a few wooden benches on the side. "You can leave your clothes here."

Levi placed his clean ones on the bench and watched as Eren started to strip his own off.

Eren sensed confusion from him and was quick to explain, "There is an open air bath just beyond that fence." Eren nudged his head towards a well hidden fence. "So take off your clothes here."

Levi noted there was some clothes on the other bench. He was about to ask if they were going to be alone or not when he heard an obnoxious laugh coming from the direction of the bath. "There are others in there?"

"Oh, yeah," Eren sounded apologetic as he realized that Levi was not used to sharing things so openly with others. "We all bathe together."

"So there could be anyone in there?" Levi asked cautiously.

"That was Jean judging by that stupid laugh. There is probably someone with him unless he was laughing at his own jokes alone like the idiot he is."

Levi halted his own stripping as he was not as open to the idea of going in naked to a bath with people he hadn't met before. He had seen this 'Jean' only as a wolf. He felt like a little kid about to throw a tantrum but he could not help the unease. "Do I really have to?"

"What?" Eren asked in confusion, looking at Levi waiting for him to elaborate. When Levi didn't answer he asked with as much sincerity as he could muster, "Are you that shy?"

"I don't feel comfortable."

"Well I'm sorry but this is how things are around here. I can't go and tell everyone to get the hell out just because you are shy about being nude," Eren knew he said it too harshly. "Look, no one cares. Honestly. We are used to people being naked. It is nothing new."

Levi knew that. "But I'm not from around here."

"No, you are not but it won't hurt you to do things my way either," Eren's tone was stressed.

The level of Eren's exhaustion was apparent in his voice. Taking pity on his mate and his state Levi somewhat reluctantly stripped his remaining clothes off and followed Eren to the bath. He tried his best to look comfortable facing members of Eren's pack while completely nude.

"Look who's here!" a young werewolf said with a smirk on his face. His hair was almost golden on top but dark underneath. Levi suspected the sun had faded the layers on top over the years.

Eren groaned slipping into the waters of a hot spring that had two werewolves already in it.

Levi followed closely behind Eren and settled as close as he could, keeping the distance from the two unknown werewolves. The water was surprisingly warm. What a pleasant surprise.

"So where did you run off to," the same werewolf who had spoken before asked. "We didn't hear from you for, what, two months?"

"Almost three," Eren answered. He then turned his attention on Levi. "Levi, that asshole is Jean."

"Oi! Who are you calling an asshole!?" the werewolf identified as Jean growled.

Levi chuckled as he noticed how Eren did not give a shit if Jean was angry or not. Levi, however, became the target of the young werewolf's glare. Jean's narrow gaze was more or less hateful.

"Stop glaring at my mate, horseface." Eren said when he noticed the same hateful expression as Levi did.

"Why? He doesn't belong here."

"Jean," the werewolf who had not said a word yet spoke out, reprimanding the obnoxious one.

"What? I'm only stating the truth," Jean defended himself.

But Jean was given a disapproving look by his fellow pack member who then directed her gaze on Levi with a softer look on her face. "Don't listen to him," her words were directed at Levi. She moved closer, extending her hand. "I'm Mikasa, Eren's friend," she said politely.

_Mikasa?_ Eren had mentioned her before. At least she had the decency to stay neck deep in the water even when Levi shook her hand. "Levi." The vampire wondered if there'd be anyone as friendly in the pack as this female one.

"Now tell us how did you two meet?" she asked her eyes full of wonder even if her face didn't change much.

"Eerm…" Eren sounded uncomfortable to start explaining that.

"Maybe some other day," Levi offered as an answer.

"Uuh! Mysterious!" Jean mocked.

Mikasa splashed some water on his face. "I look forward to hearing the story one day," she said. "There are rumors spreading already, though."

"_Already_?" Levi asked in full disbelief. How fast did news travel within the pack?

Mikasa nodded. "People are talking and everyone is very curious to know what happened. Some people say you ran away to meet with your lover and mated him in spite of your father."

Eren scoffed. "That is absurd!" It was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard! Where would he had gotten the time to run around getting himself a lover in the first place?

"And those who know what happened are not telling us," Mikasa continued.

Levi was tad surprised to hear that. He would expect people to spread the information around and talk about this weird turn of events. Surely enough people had heard Eren when he explained the situation to his father?

If he remembered correctly it had seemed the other werewolves had kept their distance but that didn't mean they wouldn't hear anything.

"When I asked my father about it, he said that it is up to Grisha or Eren to tell everyone," Mikasa stated.

"You should tell your father that he is a wise man," Levi told her.

"It's not that," Eren injected in turn. "They respect my father and our family enough not to say anything until we see it necessary. Since this is not an immediate problem to solve they are going to give us time to figure this one out on our own first."

"So the pack will eventually retaliate if we do not explain the situation?"

"Yeah, kind of." Eren shrugged.

"Someone is going to demand an explanation sooner or later as to what we are going to do now with a vampire in our midst." Mikasa was calm while she spoke, so much different from the huffing and puffing companion of hers called Jean.

"Yes! What the fuck are we going to do with that!" Jean pointed his finger rudely at Levi, ignoring his presence purposely.

Mikasa glared at him but it was Eren who acted first. He splashed a huge amount of water on the other werewolf's face. "Keep your mouth shut if you have nothing but insults coming to spout!"

Jean spluttered against the onslaught. "That's it! I'm not staying here with that blood sucker any longer," Jean growled, leaving the water and marching off.

Levi averted his gaze. He didn't know when he'd get used to seeing all these people nude and this was just the beginning.

Eren was angry, sulking quietly to himself besides Levi. Jean had been outright rude to him and his mate.

Mikasa saw the anger on Eren's face too but decided to leave the matter to his mate. "Well, I better get going too. I'll see you two at dinner," she said as she moved to the edge of the spring before hoisting herself up.

Levi did not watch her leave and he noticed that neither did Eren. "Are you alright?" he asked nudging Eren's shoulder with his own.

Eren hummed but said nothing.

Since Eren didn't seem to be willing to share what the dark cloud over his head was this time Levi took the initiative. "So, tell me how this whole washing up business happens here?"

That was enough to disrupt Eren from his gloomy thoughts. "Oh, right. Towards where Jean and Mikasa left there is a washing area. I'll show it to you after those two are gone," Eren's tone was lackluster.

"Okay." Levi could have left it at that. He could have let the young wolf wallow in his murky thoughts some more but not this time. "Cheer up," he said to his young mate while nudging against him for a second time. "I'm sure there is some light on the horizon even if I did ruin your future." He wore a smirk on his lips to indicate that he was trying to make light of the situation. "Hey, seriously, don't worry. We'll be fine."

"I hope so," Eren's words were accompanied by a sigh.

"You told me there is a proper dinner being served. You should enjoy it as much as you can. I did get my share earlier." He'd be happy to see Eren eat well after such a long time of eating whatever they got their hands on. Not even the food Seamus had provided for Eren could be the exact thing the werewolf needed, right?

Eren cleared his throat and looked away as he remembered the earlier mishap. Maybe there was some truth to his father's fears after all? The ones about Levi's seduction being his downfall or something like that. Although Eren wasn't so sure that Levi was actually seducing him.

Which made Eren wonder why did the vampire say yes to him so many times?

"Can we get to the washing part already?" Levi grunted when they heard voices of other werewolves beyond the fence, getting ready join in the bath.

"Of course," Eren said and lead his well soaked partner out of the water before anyone saw them. "We use the spring for relaxation," Eren explained.

"I figured that out on my own, thanks," Levi answered.

"Here we wash ourselves properly. You can go swimming if you'd like," Eren said while they made their way through another thicket to the shore of a small lake. "We don't have any of those chemicals you like to use. We make our own soaps by the way."

While they washed, Eren talked about the soap and how it was made. It was nothing like Levi had ever used but it did seem to do its job just as well. Levi let the werewolf blab about the different menial things he came up with. Levi came to realize how much the werewolves respected nature just by the way Eren explained that the soap was all herb based and would not leave residue like some of the human stuff that he had seen.

"I'm sorry it doesn't foam like yours did," Eren apologized to Levi while he helped him wash his hair.

Levi did not actually need help but he found it extremely relaxing to let Eren do it, so he used the opportunity to his advantage. "It's fine," he murmured.

They were sitting in the shallow water. The bottom of the shore was full of little smooth pebbles and made it extremely comfortable to sit upon. Levi could get used to this place easily. Although the lake water was much colder than the water in the spring.

Eren found it amusing how Levi always relaxed under his fingertips. But it was not as amusing as he let his eyes find all those scars on Levi's torso. He found himself regretting he had not been there sooner but the notion itself was ridiculous. Why would he think that? If he had ran away from home sooner, would he really have met Levi? Mulling over things that were so absurd made him grunt.

"What?" Levi murmured.

"Nothing," Eren replied quickly. "Rinse and you're done." Eren left Levi to clean his hair all by himself and made his way to the shore. "I'll go get your towel."

As Levi washed his hair he heard the other people enter the area. Even if he looked like he was not paying any attention to them he stayed on his guard. He listened carefully where the others were and if they'd come any closer than necessary. He heard them talk in hushed tones once they saw him.

Eren returned shortly, greeting his pack mates with a few friendly words while Levi curbed his insecurities and went to meet him halfway, grabbing the towel from Eren's hands but not too fast to seem suspicious. He wrapped the piece of cloth around his waist securely.

Eren introduced him to the pack members, "This is Levi, my mate. Levi, these are Reiner and Bertolt and their little girls Annie and Christa."

Levi nodded hopefully polite enough. "Nice to meet you."

The little girls looked up at him with wide eyes. Levi must have seemed a peculiar sight for them, him having weird ears and being pale as a ghost.

"So the news are true then, that you got yourself a mate?" Bertolt inquired. Levi felt slightly squishy being so near to such a tall person. Bertolt had big ears. Really big ears. Levi swore he could place both of his palms on those things and still they'd be bigger. He wasn't going to test it though. That would be awkward to say the least.

"Yeah, well it is a long story," Eren offered a hasty explanation. He did notice the subtle glance at the bite marks on his and Levi's shoulders.

"I'm sure it is," Reiner commented sizing Levi up. "He doesn't look particularly friendly."

"Reiner," Bertolt hissed scandalized.

That seemed to be the point when the two little girls had enough of waiting around and ran towards the water shore with giggles. "Don't go in too deep!" the tall werewolf hastily called after the two little ones. "Excuse me," he said soon after and ran after the two rascals.

"I didn't mean to offend anyone," the blond one hurried to say watching his mate going after their kids.

"I'm not offended," Levi simply stated and moved around Eren. "Can we go?" the air was starting to feel cold against his skin. He was envious how the werewolves did not seem to notice if the air was cold or not. _Must be a natural trait,_ Levi thought bitterly.

Eren reacted bidding goodbye to Reiner in an awkward manner. He'd see the family soon enough once again. "Those girls are their biological children," Eren whispered to Levi once they were on their way to back where their clothes were.

"Well, of course they are if werewolf males can carry."

"I never knew that until today!" Eren hissed trying to keep his voice down.

"Now, you do."

"You are no help at all," Eren said as they reached the benches back at the entrance again.

"What am I supposed to say to this? I am just as surprised as you are." Levi began to dress himself. "I'm the wrong person to gossip about such things, Eren."

Eren sighed feeling overly defeated. "I just feel so stupid for not realizing at all."

Levi hated the feeling that emitted from Eren. "Hey, not everyone knows everything," he tried his best to comfort his depressed mate. He touched Eren's arm to convey his sincerity better. "I'm sure you would have been told eventually."

Eren was quiet while he dressed himself into his simple attire of leather pants and cotton shirt. "The thing is that Reiner and Bertolt have not been here that long. They came here couple of years ago when their original pack got hunted down by humans and they fled."

"So there is a viable reason why you didn't know." Levi wouldn't be surprised if no one had come and said it out loud as it was probably obvious thing for the older werewolves.

"Yeah, everyone is treated like family no matter where they come from if they choose to stay. I just didn't give it any thought that those girls might be their biological ones because I assumed they had saved the kids from the annihilation that their pack had faced."

"That is completely understandable."

"I guess so."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Come on, kid, let's get to that dinner thing of yours."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> I had a list of themes to write about and all of this fell under one word: Bath.

Could say that next chapter is... going to be interesting. And I promise it comes out in less than a week!


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

* * *

><p>The banquet came to be somewhat a merry occasion. People chatted with each other and at least tried their best not to stare at Levi who sat next to Eren near the end of a long table that had been set up for the dinner. The table was wide enough to have Grisha and Carla sit side by side at the end of it.<p>

Opposite to Eren and Levi sat a couple who Eren had introduced to be Mikasa's parents. Right next to Levi sat an old man who Eren had pointed out to be Armin's grandfather. Armin sat next to his grandfather and seemed extremely positive towards Levi, expressing his want to talk to him as soon as they had sat down.

"Once Armin starts to talk, he won't stop," Eren warned him by whispering into his ear. "He's very keen on finding out about you and _us_."

"Can I tell him _everything_?"

"No!" Eren said a bit too loudly and people around them glanced their way. Eren's ears flicked in embarrassment and annoyance. Eren dropped his voice back low. "Please don't tell him anything that isn't strictly necessary."

"How should I know what is and what isn't necessary?"

"I don't know! Figure it out," Eren growled.

Levi thought it was amusing. If only the old man was not sitting next to him and he could talk to Armin just to tease Eren. But instead he kept his eye on Eren and how much he ate. Levi did take some note to what kind of things Eren was putting in his mouth just in case he might need the knowledge later. He was not surprised to see high amount of meat based foods. He had not expected to see some vegetables and wheat thrown in there as well. "I thought you guys were carnivores," he commented as he watched Eren munch on a piece of bread and slurp a soup.

"Some of us tolerate eating bread more than others," Eren said between slurps. "Not everyone can stomach it."

"I see."

The way Eren was inhaling the food indicated he tolerated it pretty well.

This reminded Levi of his youthful years when he had tested if he could eat raw meat. He had gotten a bad stomach ache and his mother had been angry at him for it. His parents had forced him to vomit the meat out but first they had made sure he knew how painful it was to eat solid food. For over two hours he had cried about the stomach ache until they had forced a foul liquid down his throat that caused everything he had eaten to come back out the way it had went in.

The memory was not pleasant but it had served its purpose.

He never even dreamt of eating anything solid ever again.

Levi looked around and noticed the rather light clothing people were wearing. He himself was wrapped in his coat finding the cooling evening air to be somewhat crisp. The area around the table was lit by several torches, setting the place a proper atmosphere. Levi somehow doubted the werewolves needed the light itself. As far as he had come to notice, Eren saw in the dark just as fine as he did.

The whole setting spoke of familiarity among everyone present, except Levi of course. People were telling jokes, discussing their daily stuff without any discomfort. Everything about this was new to Levi. His clan would have never gotten together like this. Their concept of 'dinner' included some poor soul being sucked dry, and if that did not kill them then someone would finish the job. Levi had decided long ago that he would not take part in those dinners after he learned that the person who was fed from always died afterwards.

He had not told that to any of his clan members, though. It would have seemed awfully radical of him to think that taking an innocent life was wrong.

As the dinner was drawing to a close, Grisha took hold of his wooden cup and knocked it against the surface of the table harshly to gain everyone's attention. Then he stood up and cleared his throat. "Fellow pack members," he started. "These past few months have been hard on us all. But now that Eren is back home we can rest at ease that he is safe once again."

Some of the people around the table nodded, looking relieved and directing tender gazes at Eren.

"However, Eren did not come back alone as you might have noticed," Grisha continued. "As some of you know already, the vampire that Eren brought with him is his mate. Eren explained to us that the circumstances forced his hand to make such a choice. A few months ago Eren was captured by humans, for what ends, we do not know," Grisha said with regret. "But Eren believed he would not make it out there alive."

Grisha paused for a moment and looked down at the table before he resumed his speech. Everyone in the pack knew exactly how he felt. They had been almost certain that Eren had died or would never return. Grisha had been ready to accept that fact. "The only way out was to join forces with the vampire. Apparently the mate of a vampire can provide them with blood without suffering a significant blood loss and blood was the key to their escape." Grisha fixed his glasses out of habit while he spoke. "I am not happy with the situation but at least my son is alive. We spent months trying to find him, to hear even a whisper about his possible whereabouts but came up with nothing. Now he is back with us but the circumstances have changed."

Levi started to get nervous about what Grisha was going to say and what the ultimate point of this whole speech was.

"How do we go on from here? Eren is supposed to become the pack leader when he gets older. I was looking forward to my retirement days already," Grisha said and that earned him a low chuckles out of few older members of his pack. "But ultimately this decision is not my own. I wish to hear what everybody has to say on this matter. So I suggest that we'll have a pack meeting in six months. That will give everyone enough time to form their opinion and to get to know Eren's mate. Then at the meeting we will decide whether or not Eren will be granted the right to succeed my position."

_All this just because Eren had made a choice to stay alive?_ Levi could feel Eren's shock to these news. Apparently the young wolf had thought he'd be leading the pack no matter what. Now there was even more pressure being put on them. To put it simply, if Levi managed to piss off enough people then Eren might not be the next leader. Which was why Levi held his hand up to ask for a permission to speak. He had learned at least one thing already - don't speak to Grisha unless he asks you to.

Grisha gave him a pointed look which Levi took as a sign to ask, "May I say something?"

"Yes."

Eren beside him looked simply horrified at the prospect of his mate addressing the pack.

Levi stood up. "As Grisha said, our escape was not easy. Eren is not alone when it comes to mating someone he would not be mating if given the choice." Levi knew that he sounded too harsh probably but he needed to get his point across that he was not here on purpose. Although he did not see how he could be in a position to take advantage of the pack in any way. "I was tortured, starved and experimented on by those same humans who took Eren from you. I was weak. I thought of death a lot in the last days before I met Eren. I was ready to give up on my own life. I was sure I'd die in that cell." The memories surfaced and they were not pleasant at all.

"But then there was a heartbeat, a pulse, a young werewolf who was scared of me," Levi said with a small laugh escaping his lips. "He was scared of a creature who could not hold his own against anyone anymore. I told him that he could kill me if he wanted to. I did not care at that point if he did or not. So to me, Eren was going to be a salvation either way."

"The humans used us both in their experiments. Apparently they are creating a weapon against vampires, a vaccine as they put it. They intend to wipe out every single one of us from the face of the earth by making the blood of the humans poison to us. They used Eren as a medium to test their vaccine on me. The effect of it was more than unpleasant but not enough to kill me." It was important to him that these people knew all of this. Especially if they were going to pass judgment on him. "There is no telling what those people are going to do once vampires are out of their way. They did not treat Eren any better than they did me. My guess is that they will not stop at just killing vampires. It is very likely that they will find a way to destroy werewolves as well." He could only hope Eren's pack would take his warning seriously.

"Eren agreed to our only possible escape plan. He saved me and himself from death. As a customary way of vampire mating, we swore a blood oath. We both swore to protect each other. To me it means that I will protect Eren till the day he dies. I cannot take it back and I am sure I'd never want to either." Levi knew exactly how it sounded. "Before we came here, we stopped by my clan's ancestral home. I told my clan about the eradication plans the humans have for us. I was not surprised that they did not believe me at all. They are arrogant in their belief that nothing can touch us, that we are immortal. I think I've made it clear already that we are not." He was admitting that he was just as much of a mortal as anyone in the pack. It had been easy to tell Eren but now he placed his trust in Eren's pack by telling them as well.

"Just because our life spans are much longer than humans' doesn't mean a thing in the end." Levi took a moment to look around for the first time. He saw a few dubious looks that were directed his way so he decided to change his tactic of cold fact into something that might work better in convincing the pack of his sincerity. He decided to play the emotion-card. "I am alive because of Eren and I have decided to dedicate my life to him," his words obviously hit home somewhere because Eren's whole being shifted. "I've lived a long life already, much longer than Eren. What I see in him is life itself. Of course, I have experienced all kinds of things in my life but Eren…" he trailed off on purpose.

"Eren is all I have _now_," he stated after he gave his mate a meaningful look that he hoped made it look like he had strong emotional bond with him. "I was exiled from my own clan for mating with him. To them it mattered more that I had mated a werewolf and how much of a disgrace that was in their eyes rather than rejoicing the fact that I came back alive at all," he said the last words bitterly. "Eren has already given me a life. More than once. How can I not be grateful for that?" He saw the question in Eren's eyes but he kept his act up and smiled down at his mate. "Thank you, Eren, for accepting me and saving me when I needed it the most." He internally grimaced at the words spilling out of his mouth.

Eren didn't look convinced at all by his words but if acting like he was overly fond of the young wolf convinced someone else then it would be worth it. If he was honest, he did care for Eren just a little bit, somewhere deep down. Levi leaned down and placed a kiss on Eren's cheek. That would be the last time he'd ever kiss the wolf in front of others like this, he swore that to himself.

Levi sat back down hoping he had said enough.

Eren subtly touched Levi's leg under the table and bumped their shoulders together. "Nice speech," Eren whispered, hiding his shock caused by the sudden display of affection. "A bit depressing and emotional but I guess it was needed." Eren didn't know what to think about this speech of Levi's.

Grisha kept looking at Levi after he had fallen silent. The look wasn't as harsh as it had been since the first time they met. Maybe Levi's words had reached him in some way. The vampire could only hope he had gotten somehow through to Grisha and the others that he was not a threat to them.

"Thank you, Levi," Grisha said. "That's all!" Grisha then bellowed and sat back down.

Levi and Eren were both left guessing what Grisha was thanking Levi for.

* * *

><p>When the banquet had come to end and Eren had been forced to bid goodbye to his mate, he was walking towards Armin's house with the blond and his grandfather. Each step felt heavy. The more closer he got to the final destination of the evening, the more he felt like turning back and going home. He had no desire to be here. Eren wasn't too tired to think of why he was feeling the way he did. He didn't care. He wanted to go home.<p>

The feeling of dread grew in leaps, making it hard to breathe. Each of those heavy steps became harder to make.

It came to the point where he stopped just before the porch of Armin's house.

"Eren?" his blond friend asked.

Eren stood still, eyes closed fighting the urge to turn back. He couldn't understand why he couldn't just go home.

Armin ushered his grandfather to go inside while he stayed with Eren. "Is everything alright?" Armin asked gently since Eren was obviously feeling down.

"No," Eren admitted straight away.

"We should go inside."

Eren hesitated, his whole body jerked as his legs did not want to take the last steps. "Give me a moment," he pleaded wearily.

Armin rubbed Eren's arm, giving him a questioning look. Armin was worried about Eren. His friend had not been the same when he had returned to the pack. Eren should not be feeling that much different even if he was mated. Werewolves did not have such a strong need for closeness with their mates unless someone was in heat.

Which was why it perplexed Armin to no end. Eren had said that he had an urge to see Levi, to be within his near vicinity. Armin wondered if Levi felt the same? Did the vampire have the same reactions or was it just Eren? He wanted to study them both! To see them interact, to see how well Levi would understand Eren's behaviour. Not to mention Armin wanted to study Levi himself! He had never met a vampire before or been this close and able to talk to one.

Vampires had been just fairy tale like creatures to him. He had read about them in a children's book that painted them as evil and dangerous. Oh, Armin did believe them to be dangerous for sure but Levi seemed much more calm and relaxed than he had expected. Okay, maybe a vampire lurking in the shadows was not a realistic expectation to have but Armin hadn't known better.

Armin was immensely fascinated by everything Eren had told him and even more so now that he had heard Levi talk about his imprisonment a little. Also the fact that Levi was just as deeply affected by the mating as Eren was, truly made Armin crave to know more.

* * *

><p>The next morning Armin woke up to see Eren sitting by the door, hugging his knees. But that thirst for knowledge was replaced by worry.<p>

Armin went to touch Eren and the other werewolf jerked his head up. Eren was drowsy as if he had not gotten enough sleep during the night. "Eren, did you get any sleep?"

"Hmm?" Eren rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

Somehow the dismissive way Eren brushed it off did not convince Armin at all. Eren's eyes kept falling shut despite the effort that Eren put into trying to keep them open.

When they finally arrived at the Jaeger household, Eren was only slightly perkier than before they left.

"Good morning, darling," Carla said when Eren entered, giving him a smile. "Oh," she continued as she took in his appearance.

Armin rushed in behind Eren. "I don't think he slept much last night," Armin informed her.

Carla gave him a confirming nod. "Maybe you should go get some sleep, Eren?" she gently suggested.

Eren dashed through the house to his room.

That left two worried werewolves alone downstairs.

"He is not as fine as it might seem," Armin said once they were alone.

"That maybe be so. You said he hardly slept?" Carla looked at the direction her son had run off to.

"He kept talking about an itch the first time he came to sleep over and yesterday he was very reluctant to even enter the house. He was sitting by the door, nodding off when I woke up. I am worried that there is something here that we do not see or understand."

Carla hummed just as Grisha came to the scene.

"Good morning, Armin," the pack leader greeted the blond. "Ready for our morning session?"

"Yes, sir," Armin said brightly. Grisha would be teaching him about poisons and how to treat a person who had been poisoned. Armin already knew some of the basics but today they'd go deeper into the subject and discuss some of the rarest ones.

Carla was left alone with her worry for Eren. Her son didn't seem to be the same young wolf he had been when he ran away. He seemed to be happier when he was with Levi, his eyes brightening at the sight of his mate. She had watched them at the dinner last night. There had been something playful about the way the two had conversed.

Also Levi's speech had made her realize that Eren was not the only one who had gone through something awful. Levi had given her perspective on how little they actually had cared to think about Levi's side of things.

It wasn't right to keep Eren away from his mate but it wasn't supposed to make Eren react this way, not sleeping properly. The reaction had not been gradual but imminent which made Carla wonder if separating the two had been the the right thing to do in the first place?


	28. Chapter 28 - April's Fool

**Chapter 28**

* * *

><p>Levi was not one bit surprised to wake up to see Eren curled up beside him on the bed. He did not want to disturb the young wolf's sleep. He got up and out of the bed as carefully as he could.<p>

He had already spent a day in this room so he decided to try his luck and go downstairs just to snoop around if nothing else. He'd stay inside the house though. He didn't feel rebellious enough to wander around without Eren by his side.

He found Eren's mother as soon as he descended the stairs.

She offered him a friendly smile and beckoned him over. "Sit down, please."

Eyeing her albeit warily, Levi did as asked and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"I haven't had a chance to talk to you yet, have I?" Carla said, not expecting an answer at all. "I'm concerned about Eren and his behaviour ever since you two came here."

Was she waiting for an answer? Levi did not know. He didn't know how to answer that anyway because he had not really known Eren beforehand.

"He seeks you out," Carla stated, trying to provoke some sort of explanation or question out of the vampire.

"As he should," Levi replied.

"What do you mean?"

"We're no strangers to love. You know the rules and so do I," Levi said. "A full commitment's what I'm thinking of. You wouldn't get this from any other guy. I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling. Gotta make you understand." He sprung up from his seat as some otherworldly force took over him and he sang, " Never gonna give you up! Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you." He took Carla's hand and pulled her into a dance. "Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye. Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you."

We've know each other for so long. Your heart's been aching but, You're too shy to say it. Inside we both know what's been going on. We know the game and we're gonna play it.

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling. Gotta make you understand.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up.

Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry.

Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye.

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up.

Never gonna let you down.

Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up.

Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry.

Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye.

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up.

Never gonna let you down.

Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up.

Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry.

Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye.

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up.

Never gonna let you down.

Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up.

Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry.

Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye.

Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up.

Never gonna let you down.

Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you. Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

Never gonna give you up. Never gonna let you down. Never gonna run around and desert you, Never gonna make you cry. Never gonna say goodbye, Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> Happy April Fool's day!

Edit: 3rd of April, I'm leaving this chapter here for a reminder that yes, sometimes it is important to have some fun! My goal was to get people laugh and I saw this as the most harmless and effective way to do it. The comments and reactions were great so I think I succeeded pretty well. :)


	29. Chapter 28

**AN: **Okay this is the real chapter 28

I think I succeeded rather well with my attempt to make people laugh. My intention was not to ridicule anyone, just have some harmless fun. I just hope everyone knows that. :)

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 28<strong>

* * *

><p>Levi was not one bit surprised to wake up to see Eren curled up beside him on the bed. He did not want to disturb the young wolf's sleep. He got up and out of the bed as carefully as he could.<p>

He had already spent a day in this room so he decided to try his luck and go downstairs just to snoop around if nothing else. He'd stay inside the house though. He didn't feel rebellious enough to wander around without Eren by his side.

He found Eren's mother as soon as he descended the stairs.

She offered him a friendly smile and beckoned him over. "Sit down, please."

Eyeing her albeit warily, Levi did as asked and took a seat at the kitchen table.

"I haven't had a chance to talk to you yet, have I?" Carla said, not expecting an answer at all. "I'm concerned about Eren and his behaviour ever since you two came here."

Was she waiting for an answer? Levi did not know. He didn't know how to answer that anyway because he had not really known Eren beforehand.

"He seeks you out," Carla stated, trying to provoke some sort of explanation or question out of the vampire.

"As he should," Levi replied.

"What do you mean?"

"It is the nature of the bond we share. We cannot be too far apart in the beginning. My uncle told me that it might take years for us to be able to be permanently away from each other." Carla's confused look made Levi elaborate, "The bond is like a thread. At first it is thick and short but as time goes by it stretches. In the end it will be so thin that we will be able to live, without even thinking about it much."

"Thank you. I think I understand," Carla told him. "So this bond would explain why Eren can't sleep?"

"The place he goes to every night is too far away. I cannot rest easy either but I'm respecting your request to keep me inside this house. Besides, he got accustomed to my sleeping rhythm already. You are forcing him to go back to his old one. It is no surprise that he is having trouble with that."

Carla sighed, letting out a small burst of laughter. "I should have known that you two would be able to take care of yourselves. I feel like a foolish mother trying to keep her pup safe from something that is not a threat to begin with."

"It is not foolish to want to protect your own family."

"But you are his mate. I should not feel the need to protect him from you. Your speech last night gave me the impression I have been a fool to do so."

"Everything I said was true." Although he might have chosen his words differently but under the circumstances it had seen like a good idea to make bunch of werewolves believe he had more than gratitude on his mind.

Carla nodded. "I will talk to Grisha and maybe he will agree to giving up on the sleepover idea."

"It would help Eren and me. At least I'd have some company when I am awake."

"Grisha did tell me about your little arrangement," Carla said.

"I intend to keep my word."

She hummed, looking at him with narrowed eye that had mirth dancing in them. "I was appointed to keep an eye on you, Levi," she said. "While Eren sleeps I could take you on a stroll around the village. It might do you some good to meet some of the people that make this pack if you are here to stay."

* * *

><p>At first Levi would have thought that seeing people around the village would prove to be disastrous. He did not have any idea what kind of people lived here in it so he had no real expectations other than they probably didn't like him.<p>

He couldn't walk beside Carla, no, he was not her equal. Although, she did allow him to speak when he had something to say, unlike Grisha would have.

Levi did keep his distance and politely waited for her to stop gossiping about this and that with her friend or colleague. She was apparently missing a few days of work because of babysitting the vampire as someone put it.

So he ended up asking if she and Grisha had been the ones to start the pack. She had gladly explained that it had been Grisha's parents that had originally moved to this specific location and after meeting Grisha, Carla came here with him and started a family.

As it turned out, Eren had three sisters but since females were not permitted to succeed the leadership, Eren was the one for the job. Two of Eren's sisters were in the pack, mated to some 'fine young men'. The last of the sisters had left the pack in search of a mate from the outside. They had not heard from her since but that was expected. Female wolves did not return to their old packs once they left, especially if they were mated.

"I have nothing against Eren having children but I am not sure what would happen if you two had some," she admitted. "It is not impossible for him to have some with someone else than you," she pointed out.

The thought of Eren having sex with someone else sickened him. He wouldn't be able to let Eren do it even if it was the only option for Eren to continue his line.

To say the least, the evening had been informative.

At the end, Levi had to decline Carla's company as they were getting too far away from Eren. He asked permission to go back on his own and she granted it.

Levi had not walked for long when he saw Eren walking up to him.

"Where have you been?" the young wolf immediately demanded.

"Carla showed me around while you slept."

"You have no idea how worried I was when I noticed I was alone and I couldn't find you inside the house."

"I can take care of myself."

"That is what I am afraid of," Eren said, grasping hold of Levi's shoulders.

"What? You think I'd start a brawl?"

"No. Someone else might, though."

"Don't worry. I have no intention of harming anyone."

"If you did, my father could banish you without a second thought!" Eren hissed frantically.

Levi grabbed hold of Eren's head with both of his hands. "Calm down, alright?" he said with a low murmur. He saw the glint of defiance in Eren's eyes but then the werewolf sighed, his ears falling flat against his head.

"I was just worried," Eren said pouting.

"I know. I didn't wake you up because I knew you could use the sleep." He noticed how Eren looked slightly better than he had yesterday.

Eren's ears flicked back up as the young wolf tilted his head to the side, apparently getting tired of pouting. "Would you like to come with me to meet my friends?" Eren asked.

Levi almost said no because he had just spent hours listening to enough chit-chat for one day. The look on Eren's face, the innocent eagerness, swayed him. "Sure," he said and was sure that if Eren had had a tail it would have whacked violently.

Apparently there was a place where the young werewolves gathered to socialise because they had no problem finding them.

There were four werewolves waiting for them. Levi stopped to wonder how much the bunch resembled dogs when they all came to greet Eren, asking all sorts of things enthusiastically. Jean and Mikasa hung back and let the other two do their resocializing with Eren. Levi did the same. He had no desire to disturb an important moment for Eren.

"Dude, we missed you!" exclaimed a male wolf who seemed to be older than Eren but not by much.

"Yeah!" a female one joined in agreeing. "Such an awful thing that happened to you. We are glad you are back safely."

Eren had missed them as well. At one time he had been sure he would never see their faces again. "I'm fine and glad to be back too."

Levi had no doubt that these young wolves would gladly have Eren as their leader, even now after everything that had happened. They seemed to share a bond of true friendship with him.

"Dude, everyone was so worried about you. We all thought you were dead when there was no sign of you anywhere! We traced your scent pretty far but then it vanished because of rain or some other stupid shit," the male werewolf continued. "You should have been at the banquets. Damn, it was depressing as hell. It's good to have you back." He then proceeded to smack Eren on the arm playfully.

Eren was grinning from ear to ear, listening to his friend Connie. "Thanks."

Then the female who was practically as enthusiastic as Connie said, "My brothers spend a month looking for you."

"I appreciate that, Sasha," Eren said. Sasha had six brothers. Her parents had hoped to get the lucky number, seven boys but then she had been born. Not that they hold it against her. They just had a way of teasing her about it as she had grown to be a bit boyish in her ways. But that was to be expected with so many brothers looking after one little sister.

"Sooo," Connie sang the word. "Aren't you going to introduce us?" he asked as he peeked around Eren's shoulder to see Levi better.

"Oh yeah, right," Eren turned towards his mate. "Levi." He beckoned the vampire over. "These are my friends, Connie and Sasha. This is my mate, Levi." He placed his hand on the vampire's shoulder as soon as Levi was close enough.

"I've never met a vampire before," Sasha said, looking curious.

"I'm glad I could be of service," Levi said and caused Connie to laugh.

Eventually they sat down on the grass under a tree that was obviously their regular meeting place.

One particular thing got stuck on Levi's mind and that was something that Connie said later during their chat.

"_If Eren is okay with you, then I am okay with you too."_

* * *

><p>Eren was bursting with energy when they walked back side by side. A gentle smile adorned Eren's face as they made their journey in silence. Levi didn't need to ask, he knew exactly how Eren was feeling. The werewolf was hardly trying to contain his good feeling.<p>

The night was peaceful as the werewolves busied themselves with their families and friends before they'd let sleep claim them.

When Armin's house came to view, Eren halted his steps. "Do you really have to go? Can't you stay?" Eren pleaded quietly like a child.

"We'll see each other again soon."

"Not soon enough." Eren outright pouted.

He seemed to be doing that a lot today and Levi didn't know what to say. He made his way to the front door and knocked. Soon after Armin was there, greeting them with a smile.

"You have an escort tonight," Armin said to Eren with a wink.

"Take care of him till the morning." Levi pushed Eren towards the door but the werewolf was digging his heels in. "Eren," the vampire growled with annoyance.

"You could stay for a little while?" Armin suggested to Levi when he saw the stubbornness of his friend.

"I have to head back or I might have a very angry pack leader coming to find me," Levi responded. He did not want to leave either but he didn't want to start an argument with anyone today.

It had been next to a miracle to get Eren to stay with Armin but Levi did eventually succeed with the help of the blond. As he walked back he understood why Eren had always been so reluctant to go. It was one thing to sit in one place, feeling awful and a completely different thing to be the one to walk away from your mate. Levi questioned himself as to why was he putting up with this.

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud "Yo!" that made him turn his head towards the sound. He saw the blond werewolf, whom he had met at the baths with Eren. _Reiner, was it? _

The said werewolf waved him over, sitting on a porch of a small house that was slightly in the shadow of another, bigger one. Levi glanced back at his destination, making his way to the werewolf. He made sure he kept himself in line of sight with the house that he was supposed to go to. Just in case someone _did _come looking for him.

"How's it going?" Reiner asked.

"It's going fine," Levi answered as he stopped a few paces away from the porch and Reiner's laughter boomed over him.

"You are a funny fellow," the bond werewolf said with a smirk. "But sounds like you had it rough," Reiner's tone grew serious. "With the humans and all."

"You could say that." The conversation was not one of the most comfortable ones that Levi had had today.

"So, mister vampire, what you think of this place?"

"Carla showed me around. This is not a bad place to be. People seem friendly enough."

Reiner chuckled. "Of course they do. You are Eren's mate," he pointed out. "If anyone disrespects you, Eren has every right to put them in their place."

"Ah." Well that explained a few things. People had been more or less cautious with their words today.

"It means you got the right to get pissed as well," Reiner said with a smirk. "It's going to be interesting having someone like you here."

"Someone like me?"

Reiner's smirk grew impish. "You know, Eren is well-liked. He is still young but he has the making of a good alpha. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"No. I have no idea." Was there a point to lie? "I did meet some of his friends and they seem to like him more than enough." He had to admit that he had been jealous of those said friends. They knew Eren better than he did.

"Of course they do. They've grown up with the kid," Reiner said. "To them it is obvious that Eren is going to be their leader one day. Grisha might have made your arrival seem like a big deal but it isn't necessarily so. We were all worried for Eren and I am sure that I can speak for everyone when I say that we are glad that Eren is back. There is no one like him in this pack. Would have been a shame to lose such a fine young wolf."

Levi listened to Reiner carefully, memorizing his words. The situation did start to feel not as dire as it had seemed before.

"Besides, seems like the kid likes you a lot," Reiner said, his impish grin returning in full force. Levi wondered what was it this time but Reiner didn't leave him in the dark for long. "I saw the bite mark on you and it looked fresh too. Bertolt gets like that sometimes," he said with a wink.

Levi's eyebrows knitted closely together in confusion as to what Reiner meant.

The blond werewolf laughed at his confusion, though. "In bed, I mean. Dominant and all that."

Levi cleared his throat. "Yes, he can be a handful sometimes." It seemed that Eren's behaviour that night just before full moon was something that happened among werewolves in general.

"I bet." Reiner was about to say something else when the door to his house opened and one of the little girls came out.

"Daddy, read us a bedtime story," the small girl commanded softly, wrangling the front of her loose nightgown between her fingers.

"Sure princess," Reiner said immediately. "Seems like I gotta go. Was nice to talk to you, mister vampire."

"Call me, Levi."

"Alright, Levi it is then."

* * *

><p>Armin was woken up in the morning with a sense that something was not right. At first he didn't quite know what it was but then he heard a sound.<p>

He jumped up on the bed and he realized Eren was once again sitting on by the door. This time, though, he was shaking and drawing intermittent amounts of air into his lungs.

For a second their gazes met and Armin saw Eren's tear painted face before the werewolf buried his face into his arms that he had wrapped around his knees.

"Eren," Armin called out gently as he crawled his way to him. "What's wrong?"

"Everything," Eren cried. "Why am I being punished?" Eren's voice came out raspy. "Why can't I go home?" The young wolf shook as a new wave of sobs rocked his form. "It hurts, Armin. It hurts," Eren whimpered, clutching his knees closer to himself.

Eren couldn't stop shaking. He felt the pull towards where Levi was, like a string had been attached to him and someone was tugging on it. Each tug hurt, sending fire like pain spreading all over his body, leaving a dull fading ache in his chest.

He wanted to go home.

But he hadn't dared to. What if his father would do something drastic after all? Eren was sure that Grisha wouldn't trust Levi, not yet at least. His father would separate them despite striking the deal with Levi.

Grisha would do it.

He'd definitely do it.

While Eren was being paranoid all by himself Armin was at loss what to do. He reached out but thought better of touching Eren's shoulder. He touched Eren's arm softly instead. "Eren calm down-"

"I can't!" Eren snapped harshly. "I fucking can't, Armin! My skin is crawling like it's on fire!" Tears swelled in his eyes and descended down his cheeks as he ranted. "I hate this. I can't do this. I have to.. I have to.." He swallowed his next words, groaning in pain.

Armin was about to respond, taking a deep breath when he noticed something. "Excuse me," he said to Eren as he leaned a bit closer and purposely took in Eren's scent.

As Armin pulled back, he took hold of Eren's arms. "Come on, let's get you home."

He could swear that Eren got energetic just from that fact alone. He had hard time keeping up with Eren once they were on their way. The other one ran like death was on his heels. "Eren, wait!" Armin cried out and jogged after him.

But Eren did not listen to him. He didn't stop running until he was at the front door of his own home.

Eren did not stop as he tried to rush inside. The ruckus that he made woke up Grisha and Carla who came from their bedroom a moment later to see what on earth was going on.

Eren was yanking on the door handle of the front door. "Why is the door locked?" Eren couldn't stop trying to pull it open. He couldn't understand why the door was locked.

_Why? Why? Why?_

He needed to get inside right now. The ache had gotten easier to bear now that he was closer to Levi but it wasn't enough.

_Let me in._

_Let me in!_

"Open the door! Let me in! Mother!" Eren desperately cried out each word. The door handle rattled uselessly in his hand.

"Eren!" Carla rushed to the door. "What on earth are you doing here so early in the morning?" she asked as she opened the door for him. She stopped him for a moment, taking his face between her hands. But Eren didn't have any intention of stopping and he wiggled himself free. Eren escaped towards the familiar room where his mate was residing.

"What on earth is going on?" Grisha asked when they saw Armin standing at the door, looking little flustered after running after Eren.

Armin took a few deep breaths to calm his heart rate before he said, "He was crying when I woke up. He wouldn't calm down. I had to let him come home."

"You could have waited a few more hours. No need to wake everyone in the village with this kind of racket," Grisha gnarled.

Armin had to tell them what he had picked up on Eren's scent just a few moments before, "I think he's pregnant."

Carla noticed Armin's eyes suddenly growing wide and she had a few seconds to wonder why before she heard a loud thud right next to her.

Grisha had fainted.

"Honey!" Carla exclaimed rushing to check if her mate was alright.


	30. Chapter 29

**AN:** Updates from now on come biweekly, every other Monday. Next on on the 4th of May.

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><p><strong>Chapter 29<strong>

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><p>Sleep was not going to happen.<p>

That much was clear to Levi. Every move hurt so he sat as still as he could in the dark room. He wondered how Eren was coping with this. Was the werewolf missing him or cursing him?

Probably both. Levi chuckled to himself but regretted it as soon as he did. God, why was it so hard to breathe? He had been through all sort of pain during his existence but this was something he had not encountered yet. _Although the burning sun is worse than this_, he concluded as he closed his eyes for the hundredth time. It made him smile at the irony of it; that he'd find the torture helping him cope with something.

_It is all in my head. Just a few more hours and Eren will be here. _

Try as he might, he was not having much luck lulling himself back into to the land of dreams.

That was his intent until there was a rush of feelings and he heard Eren's distressed and loud voice outside. Levi did not hesitate as he stumbled to his feet and rushed to get out of the room, towards his mate. He didn't make it far, just half way down the stairs when Eren was already there, flinging himself at Levi.

The vampire fell backwards on the stairs, a moment of physical pain causing him to hiss. But that was not what he focused on as Eren's arms wrapped around his middle and the werewolf sobbed softly into his stomach. "Shhhh," he soothed Eren, hugging him back . "I know, I know," he whispered sharing the feeling Eren was experiencing.

Everything was better now that Eren was here. Soothing calmness settled over them as they clung to each other.

Levi didn't want to let Eren go.

Not now.

Not ever.

Not if it meant going through this sort of pain again and again just to appease someone else who didn't understand shit about the pain they endured. Someone who wouldn't ever experience their bond this way. Levi was not stupid. He already knew that the werewolves did not share emotional bond like he and Eren did. That much was clear just by observing the way Grisha and Carla interacted. Carla didn't seem to have a clue what her mate was feeling before Grisha voiced his feelings.

In the meantime Carla was facing a small problem. "Armin, help me!" Carla cried out as she tried to move Grisha somewhere else than the front of the door.

The blond rushed to help her move the unconscious pack leader to a safer place. They managed to drag Grisha to the middle of the room, and while Carla went to close the door, Armin checked if Grisha had suffered any injuries.

"I didn't think he'd react this way," Carla said as she returned to her mate's side.

"I'd say he didn't expect the pregnancy at all," Armin blurted. "He didn't hit his head. At least, I cannot find any injuries."

"Should we wake him?" Carla asked, taking a peek at the direction of where Eren had gone. She could hear him sobbing on the stairs and Levi's soft reassurances that everything was alright.

"He should come around on his own," Armin had just managed to say when Grisha was already waking up.

"What happened?" the old werewolf asked, disoriented from his sudden and involuntary encounter with the floor.

"You fainted, honey," Carla told him trying not to sound too amused. "Because your son might be carrying pups," she added waiting to see if Grisha would faint again.

"Oh dear god," Grisha cursed over dramatically.

"It is not the end of the world," Carla tried to reassure him.

Grisha sighed, trying to get up from the floor on his own but Carla was there to help him, making sure he wouldn't fall over. She eyed him _with a_ concerned look on her face. "Where is he?" he asked but soon noticed the small noises of the odd couple on the stairs.

As Eren's sobs subsided into small sniffs Levi placed a kiss on top of his head. "Do you think you are ready to move?" he asked from the young wolf who tightened his hold around the vampire, burying his face more into the soft fabric of Levi's shirt. Levi petted Eren's hair and ears gently, giving him the time he needed to pull himself back together. "We have no hurry," Levi told his mate softly.

Grisha stalked over, Carla on his heels, and was about to invade their personal space before stopping himself. Grisha had to respect some boundaries even if he did not care for the vampire one bit. At least the blood sucker seemed to be doing something right by comforting Eren. Grisha cleared his throat. "Eren, I'd like to talk to you for a moment."

"Go away," Was Eren's defiant answer.

Levi tried not to smile, knowing it was not polite. "He hasn't calmed down yet," Levi remarked despite the glare he got from Grisha for it. Eren came first and right now they needed each other as close as possible.

Grisha did not like the way the vampire always had to open his mouth to speak for Eren. Who had he learned his manners from? Probably from some pompous vampire who had no respect towards others.

"This is a serious matter," Grisha said with a serious tone that he hoped would get through to Eren.

"Which can wait a few hours I'm sure," Levi growled back. He had no patience for this right now. He finally had Eren right here in his arms and Grisha was asking them to separate physically already.

"Eren, your life might be in danger. I only wish to make sure you are fine," Grisha tried a different approach. He needed to check if Eren was indeed pregnant. If he was then they would need to take the necessary steps to terminate the pregnancy before it caused Eren any harm.

The vampire was giving him a pained look. Of course the blood sucker couldn't fathom what was going on. If only Eren had come home earlier, right after the mating, then they could have cancelled the effects of the mating, heal the bitemarks away and have Eren mate another.

Someone proper.

Thing could have been so much easier that way, but no. His son had spent time with the blood sucker, prolonging his stay too much, making it impossible to separate himself from the vampire. The only thing left to do was to make sure Eren would not bear that monster's pups. Eren was too naive to realize what he was dealing with. Vampires were savages, blood thirsty creatures that thrived from chaos and killing humans as they pleased.

It was only a matter of time before the vampire would hurt someone from the pack. Grisha had hard time believing that the blood bond could have as huge impact on their lives as the vampire said. It was the first time that Grisha had heard of such a thing. It could be that the bloodsucker had made it up and used it as an excuse to have his way.

Somehow the vampire had convinced Eren of it too. That amount of manipulation was scaring Grisha. The more he thought about it, the more afraid he became. What could this possibly mean for their future? Was the vampire here to kill them all? Was the story about the humans and their vaccines all a lie? His pretty words during the banquet had not convinced Grisha. The speech had been a ploy for sure. There was no way that the vampire had meant what he said. Sure he was exiled but didn't look alarmed or distressed by this at all; why? If anything, the bloodsucker seemed cold and calculating.

Grisha could not help himself to think of these things as the pack's survival was his first priority. He couldn't give the vampire a full benefit of the doubt. He had to keep in mind that there might be something the bloodsucker was not telling them, not even Eren.

Only time would tell if the vampire would keep his end of the deal.

But right now Grisha needed that confirmation so that he could start on making the necessary potion if Eren was expecting pups. "Eren, I only ask for a moment of your time."

"We should let them be. Eren was pretty upset," Carla said softly from Grisha's side. Grisha could not deny that. His son had been crying when he entered the house, not to mention the yelling.

When Eren did not move at all Grisha had to give up on his quest for the time being. "When you are calm enough, come see me in the study," he said and stalked off. He needed to do some research on vampires as soon as possible. He had a distinct memory of owning a book that had a passage about vampires. He hoped it would prove to be useful in any way. He gestured Armin to follow him. "We have work to do," he told the blond young wolf.

* * *

><p>Eren shifted when he heard his father walk away with Armin. Carla left them alone too.<p>

"Feeling better?" Levi asked despite knowing Eren's base emotions but he could not know what the werewolf was thinking about.

"Yeah," Eren said with a sigh, rubbing his head against Levi. "I just want to sleep about one hundred years."

Levi smirked. "Hmm, should I get you a coffin and wake you up in a hundred years?"

Eren caught on his joke, snorting loudly. "You mean a coffin like Kenny had? It did smell pretty good, though."

"He's proud of his little box." Levi had endured the process of his uncle building that coffin. Talking about Kenny reminded him of something. "I should probably contact him in some way," he let his words hang in the air, waiting for Eren to understand that he wanted to know of a way how to do that. Levi wasn't sure if he could just take off and leave the village with Eren to deliver a message.

"We could do that tomorrow. After sleep," Eren mumbled not caring to articulate properly. He was clearly ready to fall asleep as his eyes fell shut. Eren made no effort to try and open them.

"Hey, don't sleep here." Levi poked Eren on the ribs, making the young wolf squirm.

"You are evil," Eren squeaked.

"Don't let your father know that," Levi joked with a whisper. "But seriously," he said tugging Eren's arms. "Let's get to bed. I'm as tired as you are."

"Carry me?" Eren asked like a little kid, giving Levi the puppy eyes.

The vampire sighed in defeat. How could he say no to the big green eyes and ears that were flat against Eren's head, the tips turned just a little bit to the side. Eren looked adorable. Levi cursed his love for dogs. Yes, that was exactly what made him pick his mate up in bridal style and carrying him to bed.

* * *

><p>Armin was worried. Rightfully so.<p>

He just spent three hours going through books and discussing Eren's possible pregnancy with Grisha. Needless to say the older werewolf was worried but not in the way that Armin had expected him to be. Sure, Armin could understand the worry that the pregnancy was somehow different than a normal one just because of the fact that the father of the pups was a vampire. But Grisha mentioned a potion that was meant for humans, mostly, to terminate an unwanted pregnancy.

That was when Armin got really worried.

He would help Grisha to look up the reading materials he needed but he wouldn't have anything to do with potions of such nature. When he asked about it, Grisha told him that, "_Who knows what kind of creatures are growing inside him._"

Armin could understand the fear of the unknown, he understood it well, but in this case he personally thought it was not Grisha's place to make any sort of decision regarding the pregnancy. To offer the potion as an option was okay but Armin was afraid that Grisha might not just leave it at that. For some reason the pack leader was hostile towards Levi in a way that made no sense.

Armin tried to make sense of it. He thought of the way he had seen Grisha act around the vampire. It wasn't that Grisha was afraid of Levi himself. There had to be something to do with vampires in general for him to place so much mistrust on the one individual. Levi was Eren's mate and Eren was dealing with the vampire just fine, then why was Grisha so against him?

Armin had not witnessed everything that Grisha had said or done to Levi but he had listened Eren ramble on about what had happened.

Armin wanted to say something to Grisha, just to see what the pack leader was really thinking, but he needed to mull things over before he voiced any of his thoughts. Grisha was not exactly the calmest person right now. Maybe with time Grisha would see that inside his mind his fears were growing bigger than was necessary.

* * *

><p>"What on earth are you doing?" Levi asked tiredly. As an answer he got a muffled giggle from his mate who was hiding under the covers, wiggling at his side. "Eren, honestly, you were about to fall asleep ten minutes ago," Levi pointed out as Eren giggled again before sticking his head out, coming up for air.<p>

"I'm just happy," the werwolf rejoiced, kissing Levi's chin and nuzzling the underside of his jaw.

"I'll pretend I understand," Levi said, his eyes falling shut. He couldn't fathom what was going on in Eren's head but the young wolf did seem to be truly happy.

It seemed as if Eren had calmed down, his breath tickling Levi's skin, but then Eren's tongue darted out to lick his neck.

Levi sighed. "Eren…" He was tired and content with Eren by his side. Why was the wolf being so odd? "What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing's wrong," Eren mumbled and suppressed a giggle. He did, however, continue his ridiculous licking and then it turned to nibbling.

"Hey," Levi warned him with a low rumble. "Cut it out."

"Just a little bit, hmm?"

"Not even one bit," Levi protested, reluctant to do so in the first place but he had to. He had made a promise. "Eren, seriously," he growled when Eren's hand slipped under his shirt.

"Hmph," Eren was displeased when Levi guided his hand away. "You were up for it just recently."

"Yes, before I promised your father I wouldn't touch you until we know your condition."

Eren's determination didn't seem to deflate. "Just once?"

"You are trying to get me killed, aren't you?"

"Come on, it would be exciting, yes?" Eren licked Levi's jaw quickly, raising their faces to same level.

"Dying is not as exciting as you think."

"Argh," Eren growled nibbling harshly on Levi's jaw.

Levi's hands shot up to stop Eren from biting him again. "Damn beast," he muttered trapping Eren's head between his hands. Eren used the chance to slip his hand back under his shirt. "I am serious. Stop," Levi's tone was stern.

Eren sighed in defeat. He removed his hand from the alluring soft skin and lifted his head upwards, hoping Levi would take the hint and let him go.

"Some other day," Levi noticed himself promising. "But first I want to learn all there is to know about you and your _abilities._ I want to know if I really have to keep my word to your father or not." There could be a chance for them to enjoy some private moments but he needed to know the details of Eren's physiology to make any kind of educated guesses how things worked. Surely, there was something to be done to prevent a pregnancy? If Eren could get pregnant at all in the first place, that is.

"You'd go back on your word?" Eren asked seemingly surprised.

Levi stared at him as if he had lost his mind. "You were just trying to seduce me!" he hissed astonished by Eren's question.

"You are the one who made the deal!" Eren defended his actions.

Levi shook his head. "You are unbelievable."

"So are you! Why did you make such a deal with my father? I can't even touch you without you pushing me away."

"I am not pushing you away. We have been cuddling ever since you came here this morning!"

"It is not enough!" Eren growled, his clawed hand gripping Levi's hip tightly.

"It has to be!"

Their voices had risen louder than they had meant to.

"Why are we fighting about this?" Levi asked once he felt calm again. "You know I won't push you away when you feel the need to touch me but we are not going any farther than that," Levi said before adding, "for now." He could understand Eren's frustration as he was not oblivious to the emotions that went through Eren. Levi wasn't a touchy person per se, but he wanted Eren to feel comfortable so he returned the hugs and touches when needed.

Eren hung his head, knowing that Levi was right. "I'm too pushy," Eren admitted, feeling blue.

"Yes, sometimes you are but it is in your nature," Levi said diplomatically. "I'm not used to being touched so much. I'm not used to this openness that your pack has. I see people touching each other so freely, with affection in their eyes and gestures, even people who are not their immediate family members! I feel like an alien among these people," Levi admitted as he thought of the werewolves he had seen when he had gone around the village in Carla's tow.

Especially when he had walked back to the house with Eren, he had witnessed several people sharing loving gazes and touches that were nothing but sweet. Holding Eren's hand had seemed more significant touch than he had ever thought it to be.

While Levi was lost in his thoughts Eren was remembering Levi's words at the banquet. "_Eren is all I have now." _Levi must feel truly like an outsider, not really seeing himself able to fit in so easily. Eren had not even tried to fit in with Levi's clan because he didn't need to but Levi couldn't just walk away from this. He had to find a way to coexist with a whole new type of 'clan'.

Not to mention the new level of importance Levi seemed to dump on him with his speech about how Eren was the reason for him living and all that. Eren knew that they would have died but the way Levi had said it made it seem like Eren had swooped in to save him like in some fairy tale. Eren realized that Levi tried to make the pack see the situation differently than Grisha did.

In his father's eyes Levi was an evil incubus, trying to slither his way into the pack. But then Levi made his speech and appeared grateful beyond words towards Eren, painting Eren as a saint who had saved a dying creature.

It was all politics.

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><p><strong>AN:<strong> Now that we got all the pieces.. muhahahahahhaaaa!  
>Okay that sounded too ominous.<p> 


	31. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

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><p>Carla had immediately walked up to Eren when the young wolf made his way downstairs after sleeping for seven or so hours. She taking his scent in deeply starting to creep her son out a little.<p>

"Armin was right," she said with a small smile playing on her lips. Then she put hands over her nose and mouth, letting out a small squeak.

Eren watched her, confused by her actions and reaction until something clicks in his head. "What?" he asked just in case.

Carla cleared her throat, taking the hand away her face. "Your scent is indicating that you are pregnant." She looked at her son expectantly but she was also bracing herself to grab a hold of Eren in case he fainted like his father did. The father and son were similar in many other ways.

"Oh." Eren didn't know what to say. He looked down on the ground, not really seeing anything before his eyes as he raised a shaky hand to his face. His mind was reeling.

Carla asked him if he was okay and suggested that he sat down. "Your father fainted!" she exclaimed amused by the earlier occurrence. When Eren didn't say anything for a while she lost her amusement and knelt down next to him where she had guided him to sit down. "Kidding aside," she said. "This is a serious matter. You are no longer taking care of just yourself but your pups as well."

Eren wasn't paying her words much attention as he calculated back towards the time when he must have gotten pregnant. _We were still at Levi's home. _They had been there two weeks ago. _It must have been one of those times_… Eren blushed at the memory of those particular times.

"Eren?" Carla's voice called out to him.

"Hmm?" he looked at his mother who sighed at him for not listening to her.

"I said, you need to tell Levi and then have your father check you up?"

"I'm fine," Eren said quickly. He didn't want to be examined by anyone. There had been enough prodding done to him recently.

"I'm sure you are," Carla said with gentleness in her voice. "You need to start eating properly!" she suddenly exclaimed enthusiastically. "You are too skinny."

"I'm not!" Eren protested, looking himself over. He was in fine condition, wasn't he? He had never been particularly skinny.

Carla tutted at him. "You need more fat in your body or you'll starve yourself and your pups before they are even born."

Eren was about to argue but he really couldn't. What did he know about these things anyway? He wanted to go and tell Levi the news but the vampire was still sleeping.

Then he remembered his father's request in the early morning. "Where's father?"

"He is still in his study. He's been reading all day. Armin should be with him."

Eren nodded. He'd go see his father after he had spoken to Levi. He wanted the vampire to be with him when they'd discuss whatever it was that his father had to say. Eren had a feeling it had everything to do with Levi anyway.

A smile found its way to Eren's lips and he couldn't stop smiling once it was there. He covered his eyes with his hand, grinning like an idiot. His worries about not being able to have pups at all were gone. He simply felt happy. All was not lost and he could very well give Levi a family that the vampire seemed to crave for. Not that Levi had used so many words to talk about that dream but Eren liked to think he had been able to read between the lines.

"I think I'll go back to bed for a while longer," Eren said. He really wanted to see Levi right now.

Carla watched him go and could not help but shake her head. Her son was pregnant and despite his young age she was excited about the news. But a sliver of dread was also present in her thoughts. So many things could go wrong. She knew that better than anyone else.

In the meantime Eren was smiling as he snuck into his own room. Levi was curled up in the middle of the bed. He was hugging a pillow, perhaps seeking the warmth of Eren who had left just a moment before.

The young wolf patted across the floor to his mate and snuggled back next to him. As soon as he touched Levi the vampire turned around, abandoning the pillow and hugging Eren instead. Levi mumbled something that Eren couldn't make any sense of and buried his face into the crook of Eren's neck.

Should he wake him or not? That was the question. The sun was up and Levi did not get along well with the fireball in the sky.

But the news were so exciting and Eren could hardly wait to hear what Levi would say.

_How will he react?_

_What kind of face will he make?_

Eren let Levi sleep for a few hours more and he himself drifted into light sleep as well. As soon as Levi shifted for the first time during those hours, Eren was wide awake.

"Levi," he whispered softly, brushing hair off Levi's face. "You are going to be a father," he kept his tone soft, waiting for the vampire to wake up.

Levi croaked out, "What?"

Eren pressed his lips together to keep himself from grinning. He was relieved by the news he was delivering to Levi. Finally they could be together as it was within the werewolf nature for an expectant mother to stay close to their mate during the pregnancy. He kept his face straight as he said it again, "You are going to be a father."

Levi squinted at him, trying to shake the sleepiness out of his mind. He let the words play inside his head for a moment. What was he supposed to say to this? Eren seemed happy though. The way his ears perked up in excitement, or one ear was perked up since the other one was still tucked under his head.

Levi reached a hand to touch Eren's cheek. He couldn't find the words to say anything. All the choices he came up with sounded lame. He couldn't possibly say, "_Oh, wow that's great!"_ and still keep a straight face. If anything it would come out sarcastic.

He ended up offering Eren a smile of his own as the young wolf leaned into his touch. "Are you alright now?"

Eren tilted his head a bit in confusion. "What an odd thing to ask."

"You were emotional earlier but now you seem… content?" Levi did not pick up any of the turmoil he had felt earlier from Eren.

"I feel like it is finally over. That I can just close my eyes and stay here without a worry." Eren did not know how to explain it in any other way.

Levi snorted. "You still have your leadership training to do," he stated.

"I know and I will do it happily now that I know I can stay here instead," Eren said with enthusiasm. "So what do you think?" Eren asked, biting his lower lip.

Levi moved his hand to the back of Eren's head, pressing their foreheads together. "I'm trying to get my head around it."

"Ah." Eren lost some of his energy. "This must be weird for you."

"You think? I found out about this possibility not long ago and now you tell me that you are…" he trailed off, propping himself up on his elbow. "What exactly is going to happen now?"

"I don't know."

Levi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Alright. Let's go and ask then," he said determinately and dragged Eren up with himself.

* * *

><p>Eren took him to a room he had not been yet into. Apparently it was a study of some kind as there was a large desk in the middle, surrounded by bookshelves. At the moment the room was in disarray, books filling the top of the desk and papers sticking from between them.<p>

Grisha was not exactly pleased to see them either. The older werewolf sighed heavily when they entered. "My son and the scoundrel arrive," Grisha muttered under his breath loud enough for Eren to hear.

The young wolf huffed quietly not saying anything against the comment. There was still a rocky road ahead to get Grisha accept Levi apparently. Eren felt a little foolish to think that the pregnancy would make Grisha yield but he was stubborn as a bull.

To make the tension easier to bear Armin spoke up, "Levi! I want to ask you so many things that are all a mystery to me. Now that Eren is expecting we might have to dig deeper than normally."

Levi wasn't exactly sure what the blond werewolf meant to dig up but he was sure he'd find out soon enough.

"How are you feeling, Eren?" Armin asked as energetic as ever.

Eren answered saying that he felt fine which of course launched Armin to ask a series of questions for him to specify his physical state more accurately.

Levi listened with half an ear not really that eager to know all that which Armin did. He was more interested in what Grisha had been doing here as the werewolf was still buried nose deep in a book since they arrived.

Armin was relentless to know how Eren felt and Eren suffered through the twenty questions until his friend was satisfied.

"When did you feel nauseous for the first time?"

"Nauseous?" Eren was taken aback by the question.

"Yes, nauseous. That is one of the very first symptoms of a male body preparing for a pregnancy," Armin explained.

That caught Levi's attention. "He was sick pretty soon after our first mating. Maybe a day or so later?"

Armin grinned. "I see. So it all started very early. That is rather rare," the blond mused more to himself than to them.

"How do you know he is pregnant in the first place?" Levi asked still a bit unsure about it.

Armin smiled and answered, "Eren's scent changed this morning which happens when a pregnant werewolf is two weeks along."

Levi nodded. No wonder he couldn't tell any difference.

_Except…_

The taste of Eren's blood had changed gradually. Levi stored that info somewhere for later inspection. "How is Eren able to get pregnant in the first place?"

Armin's eyes brightened when he was asked to explain something. He took a step closer to Levi. "There is a chance that male werewolves gain the ability to bear young. Soon after mating their body might begin to prepare itself by growing an uterus which takes about two to four weeks depending on the individual. During that time the werewolf feels growing need for intimate contact with their mate. Some suggest that the more times the pair couple the faster the uterus grows but that has not been proven scientifically."

Levi eyed the blond taking in all the info. "Eren mentioned something about a heat that females go through. Does that happen to him too?"

And Armin was more than happy to ramble on, "The male werewolves are different from females as females have two heats per year but males who are able to carry can try to get pregnant anytime they want. Werewolves are not as sexually active like humans are and usually only couple when the female is in heat. The uterus that a male has grown will need a spark to ignite so to speak but once it is growing the male will enter a state that does emulate a heat. So one could say that females have sex when they are in heat but males will need sex to achieve a heat."

Levi nodded. That explained Eren's rather obsessive need for sex at times.

"But there are male couples out there that will never conceive together. So you see why you and Eren conceiving is almost like a miracle in itself," Armin's tone was low but excited as if he had waited to say all this for a long time. "I don't know what will happen because I assume that vampires breed differently than werewolves," Armin let the sentence hang with a questioning tone.

"Vampires are similar to humans. The only difference is that vampires carry for twelve months but if werewolves are anything like real wolves then I guess it is very different for you?" Levi glanced at Grisha when he noticed that the older werewolf's ears were directed towards them as he listened into their conversation.

Armin kept nodding. "Yes, usually werewolf pregnancy lasts for three months."

"Three?" Levi hadn't really thought it would be so short for the humanlike creatures. He had assumed they'd carry for a bit longer than that!

"Well, Eren is most likely carrying hybrids of some kind so we cannot really make an estimate how fast they'll grow." Armin had given this a lot of thought today. "It could be anything between three months to twelve. For all we know it depends on the most dominant genes, which side wins, we won't know until later. There is still a chance of miscarriage if the fetuses are not capable of living. We simply don't know enough to make any sort of estimate of anything!" Armin threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "But if I had to guess I'd say that since Eren is the one carrying then it is most likely that the pups will born as werewolves. That always happens with human and werewolf joinings."

Grisha joined into their conversation at that point. "Most likely they will be monsters."

Eren who had been all silent suddenly growled. "Say that again," he hissed taking a step forwards.

Like magic, Carla showed up. She had been listening to any sort of aggressive sounds and heard Eren's growl. She stayed by the door, not yet interfering with the dialogue between father and son.

"What do we know about such an union? Nothing!" Grisha exclaimed, slamming the book shut that was in his hands. "Vampires are not exactly mellow like humans. Half breeds between humans and werewolves are not real wolves at all. Now that you throw a vampire into the equation what do you think will happen?" Grisha glared at his son. "They are much more vicious than humans, much stronger too. Just think of the beast that you'll create with that combination."

Eren was shaking. "You know why I hate you, father? It is because of this attitude of yours! You said it yourself, how will we know?! We don't! We have no idea what will happen but why do we have to assume the worst?"

Carla's help was not needed after all because Eren stormed out after that.

Levi sighed. "Excuse me," he said and left hot on Eren's heels.

* * *

><p>"Can you believe that? My own father thinks that I'm carrying a monster inside me," Eren fumed as he slammed the door to his room behind himself and Levi as soon as they entered.<p>

"We cannot be entirely sure what the child inherits from us," Levi said trying to make Eren see his father's point of view.

Eren couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Are you siding with him?"

Levi gave him a pointed look. "You have to admit that something could go wrong. There has never been a hybrid child like ours."

"That doesn't mean something will go wrong. You are overreacting over this."

"But if something does go wrong, I will take care of killing it."

Eren stared at his mate dumbfounded by the words that had just left Levi's mouth. "How can you say that? How can you even think for one second that our child would be anything less than perfect?" The pain was evident in Eren's voice as he spoke with sheer determination of keeping his voice even.

Levi had to make Eren see his side of the matter. "Eren.." he started but the young wolf was not hearing his words.

"No! Don't speak to me like I'm a child." Eren's chin was quivering as the werewolf drew a shaky breath. "If it comes to it, I will fight you," he said clenching his jaw in anger. It had been enough that his own father had given his opinion about how the child would turn out to be nothing but a nightmare but Levi too?

Levi knew what Eren meant. If something went wrong, Eren would protect his child with everything he had. "I am only looking out for what is best for-"

"Best for _who_? You?" Eren challenged him with his icy words. "Who the fuck are you to decide what is best for _our_ child?"

Eren was going too far but Levi allowed it. How could he tell him to stop when it was obvious Eren needed to get everything off his chest.

"I don't comprehend how you can even consider murdering your own child just because they might not be exactly what you had in mind. This makes me wonder what kind of parent you will be. Can I trust my child to your care or are you going to kill them as soon as I turn my back, hmm?"

"Eren," Levi said with a warning in his voice, closing his eyes as he could not bare to look at his mate any longer. The pain and anger that Eren had for him were washing over his being like rolling waves.

Eren stared at the vampire without knowing who that person was. Had he ever even begun to understand what Levi was like? Apparently not. Tears burned Eren's eyes as he bit his lower lip to keep himself in check. "I need to be alone," he told Levi and turned to leave.

"Eren, don't go," Levi's voice called out.

Eren thought he heard an ounce of defeat in that voice. Without sparing a glance at Levi he said, "I can't stay."

"You have to listen to what I have to say," Levi told him, grabbing hold of Eren's arm. His grip was strong and Eren flinched at the pain of it.

"Why? Because you listened to me before making your decision?" Eren asked bitterly still refusing to look at his accursed mate.

Levi chose his words carefully. "What I meant to do if... if our offspring is anything but normal. I'm not saying that it will be," Levi hurried to say. "I only wanted you to know that I will bear the pain in your stead. I'm responsible for this whole mess and I intend to see it through if it comes to that."

"So kind of you to offer to murder an innocent child."

"No, Eren, that is not what I meant."

"The hell it is!" Eren yanked himself free. "Get the hell out of my sight at this instant or I swear to god I will do something about you and your miserable existence!"

The look in Eren's eyes was feral. Levi didn't need to guess if Eren was being serious.

Levi took a step back and said, "As you wish." He was out of the door before Eren even realized it.


	32. Chapter 31

**AN: I suck at these notes nowadays so I'll just say that the next chapter will be out on... First of June! **

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 31<strong>

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><p>"What is wrong with you?" Carla asked Grisha harshly. She had sent Armin to make tea for everyone. It was not important if anyone even wanted tea at this moment. "He is your only son. Don't you remember what happened when Eren was born? Neither of us want to go through that ever again so I doubt you'd want him to go through something like that either."<p>

"Of course I don't," Grisha said quickly.

"So you say but you keep driving this wedge between yourself and your son for no good reason! He is not a child anymore and he has been just fine with Levi for months on his own. If Levi wanted to hurt him, he would have done it already and we wouldn't have seen Eren ever again!" Carla's worry was apparent in her voice despite what she said.

"Who knows what that creature's motive really is," Grisha muttered like a petulant child.

Carla's voice was firm. It did not falter at all as she spoke. "If what they told us is true then Levi has no other place to go. We cannot throw out our own son's mate just because of what he is or just because you dislike him. He cannot he change his own nature but I've seen him interact with our Eren enough times to say this; he will keep Eren safe and protect him."

Right then they heard the loud voice of their son, coming from upstairs, telling Levi to get lost.

Grisha could not help but crack a smile despite the situation. "He is doing such a good job already."

Carla only faltered for a moment. "This is not a laughing matter."

"I know. I did not mean to upset Eren but…" Grisha fell silent as he found the top of his desk a lot better target to look at than his mate.

"Is this about what happened to Martha?" Carla asked when Grisha failed to continue. "She was avenged a long time ago and no one here is responsible for what happened back then. So don't you dare to use that as an excuse to shun Levi."

Grisha knew that Carla was right. He could not argue with her. All he could not was nod and admit that perhaps he had been too harsh in that regard. "I'm only looking out for what is best for Eren."

"It clearly isn't working," Carla told him. "Eren is stressed beyond what he should ever be in his state. I will hold you responsible if anything happens to the pups he carries."

* * *

><p>Levi was sitting out on the porch looking up to the starry sky. There were no clouds in sight. The tranquility of the scene did not help much with his mood though. There was an imaginary dark cloud over the whole house and it had been there for days.<p>

Levi heard the front door open for the second time that night. First time it had been Armin going time Levi thought it might be Eren. Maybe the young wolf had calmed down enough to talk.

But he was in for a surprise because when he glanced over his shoulder he saw Grisha coming to stand right next to him.

Levi was bracing himself for harsh words and maybe a kick to the gut too. He wouldn't be surprised if everyone had heard Eren screaming at him.

They probably had.

Loud and clear.

God knew what Grisha was thinking but surely he would tell Levi about it very soon.

Grisha stood there, silent for a moment. "When Eren was born Carla gave birth to two boys. We lost Ryan soon after," Grisha spoke awkwardly pausing in between sentences, not elaborating any further than necessary leaving Levi to guess all the other details. "We tried to have more pups after that and she miscarried even when all signs showed that everything was supposed to be going well. Carla asked me not to ask her for more children after that. I respect her sorrow and her decision but I was close to asking her to change her mind when Eren went missing."

"As you probably know, Eren is our only son. Losing him would have been devastating not only to us but to the whole pack. So you can imagine how I was not exactly happy to see him come back with a mate. It didn't even matter to me if you were a vampire or a human. There was, and still is, a chance that your union is not going to bear fruit. We'll see once Eren gives birth."

Now Levi could understand why Grisha and Carla were so protective of Eren. No wonder indeed if they had lost children. Eren was their latest child and they had no intention of having more.

"This incident has given me some perspective and I realized just how wrong it was of us not to teach Eren all he needed to know. We were so sure he'd pick someone within the pack. He never showed any interest in anyone so we thought he had not yet thought about it at all. We wanted him to choose someone naturally without the pressure of thinking that he needed to appease us." Grisha sighed. "I had a few ideas of who he could have chosen and when I tried to talk to him about it he ran away. Eren has never been good at listening to my advice."

"I heard his… anger directed at you and I am not going to ask what you said to him to get such a response out of him but you need to fix it," Grisha said finally looking at the vampire. "No matter what I think or what caused it, it is not good for Eren and the pups."

"Did Carla make you say that?" Levi asked as he could hear the similarities between the two werewolves.

"No. I'm saying this as his father as much as a doctor. Stress so early in pregnancy is not good for the pups."

Levi mulled it over in his head for a moment. "I doubt he wants to see me."

Grisha looked up to the sky with a sigh. "He is upset with you, true, but he is even more upset that you are not comforting him."

Levi ran a hand across his face. "He misunderstood my intentions completely. He thinks I am going to kill the child as soon as I get my hands on it," he revealed the reason of Eren's anger. "I merely suggested that if something _is_ wrong with any of our offsprings that I will take care of it." Levi knew that moping alone would not solve anything but as long as Eren refused to speak to him, there was nothing he could do.

Grisha gave him a calculating look, not giving him any opinion on the matter. "It would be best if you two made up, at least in some degree. He is stressing himself out and there is a high chance of miscarriage if this keeps up."

That would be horrible. Levi realized that. He had mixed feelings about this whole pregnancy thing but he could only imagine what it would do to Eren if he miscarried the child so early on. There would be no return from that. It would be all on Levi's shoulders because he would be the cause of it. He would have been the one to push Eren into true despair rather than supporting him on this even if he didn't agree on everything.

"Where is he?" Levi asked and saw a relieved smile spread across Grisha's face briefly.

"He is still inside his room. He has refused to eat."

Levi nodded and made his way inside the house, hoping he would be able to mend the rift between him and his mate before anything more serious happened.

When they reached the door to Eren's room Levi didn't bother to knock. It was better if Eren didn't know he was coming.

"Mother, I said I don't want any .. Oh it's you," Eren's tone changed from annoyed to cold in an instant.

"We need to talk."

"No shit," Eren said sarcastically. "Did you come to spread more of your killing propaganda?"

It seemed this was not going to be an easy task to undertake. "No, I came to talk."

Eren eyed him coldly. "Then talk."

Eren radiated coldness towards him and Levi came to realize how much he wanted the warmth back that he was accustomed to. "I came to apologize."

"Really?"

"Drop the sarcasm and listen to me for once!" Levi snapped but he was remorseful as soon as the words left his mouth. He held his hand up in a calming manner. "I'm sorry." He meant it too.

Eren didn't seem to believe him at first but then the young wolf huffed, crossing his arms. "Say whatever it is you need to and please leave me alone."

"I cannot do that," Levi hurried to say and took a step into Eren's personal space. "You are my mate and I cannot abandon you at a time like this."

"Sweet talk is not going to-"

"Eren, please, hear me out." Levi's soft tone seemed to do the trick and Eren's features softened by a fraction.

"Alright," the werewolf agreed.

Levi placed his hands on Eren's crossed arms. "I know what I said is horrifying but it is the way I am used to seeing things getting done. Dangerous beasts are put down and not kept alive because of something like mercy. This is the way I am and I only offered to protect you. Do you really think I want to see my own child die?"

Eren listened to every word his mate said and feeling of sadness filled him as he thought of how different their lives had been up until this point if Levi was used to think like this.

"I said what I said in case we end up with the worst luck in the world and our child turns out to be just like your father fears it will. He is right to be concerned but it doesn't mean I will blindly kill a newborn baby. I won't let anyone kill our child. The child would have to be a mindless monster for me to even consider killing them and that would be the last option. It would be my duty as a father to take care of them even in death. That is why I said I'd be the one to kill them," Levi explained his reasons hoping Eren would see them too.

Levi watched as something changed in Eren's eyes. He continued, "I realize how much the child means to you. It means a lot to me too. We both thought that we were condemned to live our lives without leaving any children behind but now we have that chance."

Eren's heart melted as he listened to Levi speak. His eyes started to tear up again. "I'm so sorry," he rasped out, wrapping his arms around Levi's shoulders.

"I'm the one who needs to be sorry. Not you."

"But I judged you before you even had a chance to explain."

"It's alright. You have no reason to blame yourself."

Eren gazed down at his mate's eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Stop that." Levi raised a hand and touched the side of Eren's face gently. Eren leaned into his touch with a soft smile on his lips. It seemed the crisis had been averted. _For now_. But Levi knew that this was not a simple matter to get over. There would be doubts about the outcome until the day the child would be born and even after that. They wouldn't know what they were dealing with until the child was old enough for them to be sure.

"Have you calmed down?" Levi asked already knowing the answer partially at least. He could hear Eren's heart rate being at the normal parameters. Which made Levi's thoughts cross over to the fact that he had not eaten anything for the past few days. Oh, how wonderful Eren's blood would taste.

"I know that look," Eren said instead of answering his question.

_Busted!_ was what Levi thought grimacing. How had Eren gotten so good at reading him?

"You should eat if you are hungry."

"I'm fine," Levi said quickly dropping his hand to his side.

But Eren didn't let him go so easily. The young wolf cupped Levi's face between his hands and said, "I'll feed you, don't worry."

"Ooh, you will, hmm?"

Eren smirked at his mate. "Among other things," he said with a wink.

With that kind of turn in the events how could Levi say no. "Alright then, my big bad wolf."

"Watch out or you might get eaten instead," Eren's voice got husky as his lips hovered over Levi's.

"I'll bear that in mind." Levi closed the gap between them capturing Eren's lips in a hungry kiss. He was hungry and realized exactly how much.

But before Levi got into his feeding business, there was a knock on the door.

"May I come in?" it was Carla who asked from the other side of the door. "I brought Eren something to eat."

Levi stepped away from Eren and opened the door to let the female werewolf in. His own meal would have to wait for now. At least Eren was feeling better. Levi's own hunger could wait until Eren had eaten.

* * *

><p>Levi had suggested that they'd go for a walk to get some fresh air after the emotional turmoil of the evening. Besides nothing would calm Eren down like a starry sky, right?<p>

Levi noticed that he was indeed right on his assumption as Eren's eyes were fixated on the sky above as soon as he noticed the stars. His ears pressed flat against his head as he kept walking forward slowly without looking where he was going. Levi kept him on the right track gently nudging Eren along by his arm.

"I'm sorry for all the anger I've pushed towards you," Eren said calmly. "When I get angry it is hard to control what I say."

"I understand and you don't need to apologise."

They walked once around the village and as soon as they reached home Grisha didn't waste time to ask, "Where the hell have you two been?"

"Out?" Eren answered dumbfounded by the harsh reaction.

The seemingly calm Pack Leader had found a new reason to be angry about. "You were supposed to start your training already but instead you go and run around with your mate. How do you think that will look in the eyes of the others when you don't give a damn about your duties?"

Eren listened to his father's serious words with clenched jaw and hands squeezed into fists. "I do care! I just-"

"There is no time for excuses. We have six months to prove that you are taking your training seriously and that you are capable of leading this pack when your time comes."

"You came up with that time limit yourself. Why did you do that?" Eren was shaking with anger that had flared once again.

Levi grabbed a hold of his arm to tell him to calm down. Levi could not understand why Grisha had not given Eren enough time to calm down from the last argument before pushing on for another. Hadn't he told Levi just an hour before that stress was not good for Eren?

"The pack won't stay quiet forever. I bought us time to settle things peacefully. Someone might see this as an opportunity to take over the pack if I didn't make it clear that there is going to be an conclusion to this," Grisha explained. "You would know of this if you had not gone off with the blood sucker."

Eren made a move forward but Levi's iron hold held him in place. "Stop insulting him!" the young wolf cried out.

"I apologize if overstepped my bounds by taking him out for a walk," Levi's tone was low and dangerous. He was more or less being affected by Eren's anger.

"You just don't learn, do you?" Grisha looked at the vampire with narrow eyes. All the toleration from Grisha's side was gone once again.

"And you don't seem to know when to stop harassing your own son," Levi spat back. He couldn't understand these boundaries that Grisha was laying for them. He did understand the worry but this was beyond ridiculous.

"Okay, that's enough," Carla interrupted the argument that had probability of getting violent. "Every single one of you calms down or I'm throwing you outside to fight in front of the whole pack," She told them her voice stern. She was not kidding.

Grisha was the first to take a step back but he did not relax his composure at all, waiting for Eren and Levi to back off.

Eren looked at his mother, seeing that she meant business, he fell back a step too.

"The same goes for you too, Levi," Carla said directing Levi the same look.

Levi hadn't even realized he had been right by Eren's side, ready to bounce in case it was needed. He imitated Eren by moving back where he had been before things almost got out of hand.

No one had time to say anything further when a rapid knocking came from the front door.

Grisha went to open the door sighing and letting the anger melt away. He did not want to show any other pack member exactly what had been going on inside the house.

Levi did not recognize the voice that spoke with haste but the words were grim. "Bertolt and the kids came back from a hunting trip. Annie has been shot and Reiner stayed behind."

Carla sprung into action alongside her mate as they left with the person who had come to inform them of the incident.

"Tell me exactly what happened!" Grisha exclaimed concern lacing his voice and demeanour.

The young wolf who had delivered the news shook his head. "I do not know the details other than that the family had gone to hunt together and ran into humans."

Grisha and Carla were at the scene in few seconds. Bertolt was near the village center clutching Annie to his chest.

Levi and Eren followed closely behind to see what was going on.

Bertolt was seemingly relieved to see the Pack Leader arrive. "We went to hunt," Bertolt started shakily. "Humans started to shoot us out of nowhere. Annie got at least one pellet in her foot. I can't get it out!" The werewolf cried in panic.

Grisha knelt next to the panicking pack member. "Everything is alright now."

"No, it isn't. Reiner stayed behind to make sure we could escape. I heard gunfire. I am not sure he…"

"Humans," Levi muttered. "They know we are here." His words had been heard by Eren who looked just as shocked as Levi felt.

Grisha did not waste time as he called out to Sasha who was the best tracker in the pack. "Take your brothers and go find Reiner but be careful if the humans have lingered on the area."

Sasha nodded and then asked Bertolt exactly where they had been and how far.

"About ten kilometres north of here," was the shaky answer.

As soon as Sasha and several of her brothers were gone Grisha gave his attention to little Annie. "She indeed has one pellet inside her leg. We need to take it out and stitch the wound-"

"That is not necessary," Levi interrupted the old werewolf. "I can heal it in an instant if you let me."

Eren was fast to inject his reassurances to Bertolt and his father. "Trust me, he can heal the wound in a flash. It won't even leave a scar."

"But-" Grisha started to say but Carla shushed him.

Bertolt looked uncertainly from Eren to Grisha and then Levi before he nodded. The little werewolf in his arms whimpered. Annie was still in her wolf form. Levi took a closer look at the leg. "This won't hurt at all," he said before latching his mouth on the small wound. He didn't let his fangs pierce her skin just yet and he sucked out all the clutter in the way. The pellet itself was a stubborn bugger so he saw no other option than biting her.

As carefully as he could, not to cause more harm than good, he bit the leg. The bite would numb her against pain and he'd be able to get the pellet out without hurting her unnecessarily.

Bertolt had a look of wonderment on his face as Annie relaxed in his arms and stopped whimpering in pain.

Eren gave him a reassuring smile. "She'll be alright if Levi can get the pellet out of her leg. His saliva will heal the wound afterwards."

Bertolt nodded and soon he was more than grateful when Levi spat out the pellet that had come from a human shotgun. The wound healed just as Eren had said. "How can I thank you?"

"You don't have to," Levi said. "She should be able to use her leg normally."

Bertolt sighed smiling down at his daughter. Then he began his story anew when Grisha asked for details about what had happened. The werewolf family had gone out to teach the girls how to hunt. "Reiner said that they are old enough to learn and I did protest but went with it anyway. Everything was fine until there was gunfire. The humans were there to hunt too it seems."

"We urged the girls to run but then Annie was shot and I had to grab her. Reiner told me to run as fast as I could with the girls. He stayed behind to lure the humans off our trail." Deep worry and sadness came back to Bertolts voice and face.

"I'm sure he is alright," Eren said. All they had to do now was to wait for Sasha and the others to get back with news on what happened to Reiner.


	33. Chapter 32

**AN - This is a few days early. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 32<strong>

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><p>"Do you seriously believe they know we are here?" Eren asked as they waited to hear Reiner's fate. Grisha had ordered everyone to make sure their kids were safely at home and stay alert until they knew what was going on. Grisha had also asked a few people to stay up, guarding the village in case the humans stumbled upon them. Levi had volunteered to be on guard duty that night.<p>

"It is likely," Levi answered Eren. "They knew how to follow us to where I had been captured so I'd assume they are snooping around this area as well if you were caught nearby."

Eren nodded mortified. "We need to do something."

"Indeed but what?" In a situation like this, what would be the best course of action? Levi was sure that if they took care of the humans their superiors would come looking for them. "If we have any luck those humans have no idea exactly where this village is and they'll leave sooner or later." Levi did not believe in what he said. He was extremely worried that they might be discovered any day now.

Grisha walked up to them, having heard their conversation. "You say the those humans are the same ones that captured you?"

Levi gave him an affirmative answer, not believing in coincidences.

"You might have been followed on your way here."

"There is no way the humans would have known what route we took here. We chose a route through the woods to keep anyone from seeing us," Levi explained. "It is highly unlikely that someone did.

"But there was that one man at the lake," Eren suddenly said. "What if he saw us?"

"They would have been coming from the south if that was the case. Besides you told me he didn't notice us." Levi hoped that Eren wasn't hiding anything from him.

"He didn't. He was just a local hunter, I think."

"Then we don't have to worry about him." Levi turned his attention solely on Grisha. "I suggest we do something about this human threat. There is a chance that they will eventually find this place."

"I told the people to hide their ears until further notice whenever they are outside," Grisha said. "That goes for you too Eren."

Eren nodded and went to get something hide his ears with.

"Maybe building a wall around the village would work better? To keep anyone from entering without us knowing," Levi suggested after giving possible defensive tactics some thought. "There isn't that much to cover and we could camouflage it."

Grisha nodded agreeing with the notion. "We don't have weapons like humans do. We have never needed guns for hunting. Your idea seems reasonable. Maybe we have been too lenient in the past because only one or two humans ever get lost in these parts and they are easy to deal with."

"Now there could be much more than just a few," Levi warned him.

"I suppose so." Grisha squinted his eyes as he looked towards the direction the search party had left.

Levi had a feeling Grisha did not quite grasp how cruel humans could be. "They won't see you as part humans. They see us all as monsters."

* * *

><p>People were gathered at the center of the village when Sasha and her brothers returned. It was the first time Levi had seen so many wolves at once and he was the only one directing his gaze somewhere else when some of the wolves turned into their human forms.<p>

"We didn't find him," was the first thing Sasha said. "He has been shot, no doubt about it. We found his trail but it ended at a road less than kilometre away from where Bertolt and girls's scent ended. There was blood trail all way to that road. The humans took him with them. I can't say if he was dead or alive. I'm sorry," Sasha told the news.

Bertolt was devastated by the news and fell to his knees, openly crying for his loss. The girls were not with him and better so. Carla had offered to look after them until Bertolt returned home.

Grisha grit his teeth. "Good work," he said to the squad of werewolves. "We'll have an emergency meeting at sunrise."

Levi looked at the sky that was already turning lighter. Sunrise was not far away.

"Get some sleep while you can. We have people guarding the village borders just in case," Grisha told everyone who was present. With that Grisha shooed everyone back to their homes.

Levi said farewell to Eren and assumed his duty as one of the people keeping an eye out.

* * *

><p>The next few days were tense around the village. Levi could see it in the way people talked in hushed voices and looked over their shoulders more than usually.<p>

Levi on the other hand kept patrolling the village borders during the nights.

The emergency meeting had put in motion a plan to fortify the village with a high fence. Also the visibility into the village from the gates would be limited as a precaution. Building the wall also lead to a conversation about the house that Eren had mentioned that they would get.

Mikasa's father was the best builder in the village and thus he had lengthy evening conversation with Levi about the design of the house. Levi had questioned if the man had time to focus on a house but his question had been shrugged off by an answer, "Others are building a fence. Designing it didn't take that long as I've always thought we could use one. The terrain is great for it too."

Reiner's disappearance shook the whole village as people were more careful, keeping an eye on their children when they played outside. No one was left alone. No one left the village without telling anyone either.

There was no plans made to go and look for Reiner. The risk was too great and so the whole pack agreed. They could not risk their home and go looking for one person when they did not even know where Reiner had been taken. They did not even know if he was alive!

The decision of course was not something that Bertolt had wanted to hear but had accepted it.

A few days later was another banquet evening. The spirits were not high at the dinner table either. On major thing Levi noticed was that the people gave the little girls, Annie and Christa, a lot of attention, making sure that the girls were kept smiling and content with anything they might need. The pack took care of its own to an extent that Levi had never seen any family do.

While Levi had been preoccupied with the guard duty, Eren had been undergoing his training.

Finally.

Grisha seemed happy and content with the fact that Eren was doing what he was supposed to do and not frolicing around with Levi.

All Levi knew about it was what Eren complained to him. So far the lessons that Grisha had been giving him were apparently "_boring as fuck"._ But the young wolf was taking it seriously. Eren spoke of the pack with pride whenever Levi asked him something about the people he saw each night moving about.

"I'm scared," Eren admitted to him one evening after his training lessons. "I'm scared that I won't be good enough."

"That is bullshit," Levi had told him. "These people respect and love you." But who was he to judge if Eren was fit for leadership or not. He could only say what he knew so far. He had seen the way people congratulated Eren when they noticed that he was expecting a child. Of course Levi didn't know if they did it because of who Eren was or because they were genuinely happy for him. Only time would tell.

* * *

><p>The next day Grisha stopped Levi before he had time to leave for a patrol that was starting to become a routine and fast. "Can I have a word with you?"<p>

"Of course."

Grisha lead him outside. "I'd like to ask you something that has been bothering me." He stopped right after going down the the few steps in front of the house. "How do you plan on protecting Eren in the future if you cannot walk in the sunlight?"

Levi had kind of expected this to be an issue at some point. He didn't have any real answer to the problem so he threw in a joke, "Maybe I could manage with an umbrella." Walking outside during the day was not impossible but Levi did not want to take a risk of exposing himself when he didn't need to do so. If Eren needed him to be up during the day then he'd be willing to try his best.

Grisha wasn't amused.

"I can change my sleep rhythm if it is necessary and take precautions while being outside. It is _life threatening_ for me so I do not wish to just stand around doing nothing when I could be _hiding_ from the sun."

"I understand."

That was the whole conversation as Levi came to notice. Grisha left the scene to the opposite direction that Levi was going to be heading. Grisha was not apparently satisfied or happy with his answer. Levi could only guess what was going on inside that head of his.

Levi shook his head as he made his way down on the already familiar path.

* * *

><p>One day Eren came to their room, or Eren's room but the werewolf had already dubbed it as theirs, and slumped next to Levi in a huff. Most probably Grisha had said something to upset his son once again. Levi did not ask as he was more than willing to fall back to sleep.<p>

But instead he found himself listening to Eren's soft huffs as the werewolf calmed down from whatever it was that had been the cause. So they laid in silence for quite a while until Eren broke it by saying out of the blue, "Your ears are weird."

Levi opened his eyes to look at Eren from the corner of his eye. "How's so?" he had to ask. "You are the one with dog ears."

"Hmph!" Eren huffed at him while tracing Levi's earlobe with his finger. "I've never got the chance to really study one like yours this close. Now that I do, they look weird. What kind of purpose do they have? Do you hear somehow differently than I do?"

"How should I know?" Levi's first reaction was to get Eren to stop the groping of his ear. "All I've noticed is that you hear better than I do."

"Thanks," Eren said with a genuine smile on his face. He pursed his lips as he fell into deep thought. After a moment of silence, the young wolf asked, "Do you think our pups will have my ears or yours?" He was fascinated by the shape of Levi's ears.

"We'll have to wait and see," was all Levi could answer.

Suddenly Eren shifted and licked the weird ear. His hot and wet tongue sliding over the shell of it.

"What the fuck," Levi cursed as he yanked his head away from Eren as far as he could.

"It feels just as weird as it looks," Eren said with a hum.

"You didn't need to lick it though," Levi grumbled at him.

Eren hummed again contemplating the fate of their children and their ears. "What if they are going to have hairless hideous wolf ears?"

"You are thinking about this too much. We'll see when the damn thing is born."

"The thing?!" Eren exclaimed scandalized by Levi's words.

Levi laughed quietly at the look on Eren's face. "I'm not serious, Eren," he told him as he sensed Eren's upset being real. "Calm down." He rubbed Eren's arm soothingly with his hand.

Eren huffed but he calmed down soon after. "That was not nice," he muttered.

"I apologize." But he couldn't resist saying, "Our kid might still be butt ugly, though."

"God, I hate you."

"You know there is a thin line between love and hate," Levi pointed out seemingly nonchalant but in truth he had every intention of teasing his mate. He thought Eren would scoff at him and maybe dismiss it with a glare but no.

The werewolf was silent, eyes a bit wider than just a moment before.

The atmosphere got heavier with each passing second. Levi found himself silenced by it. He hadn't thought that his joke would have this sort of reaction once again.

Eren cleared his throat, averting his eyes from Levi's that he had been staring into the whole time. Eren escaped the situation by laying his head down on Levi's shoulder so he didn't have to look at the vampire.

The silence was awkward and it didn't help that Eren was tense.

"Why is it that every time I mention love you panic?"

"I don't panic," Eren muttered.

Levi took in a breath as he wanted to argue with Eren but thought better of it. Instead he asked, "Is it upsetting you for some specific reason?"

"It's just.." Eren started hastily but then paused. "I always thought I'd get to choose."

"To mate who you love?"

"Yeah…" Eren answered with a sigh.

"Is there someone you love?" Levi was dreading the answer. What if Eren had been in love with someone before they mated?

As the silence stretched Levi became more and more uneasy. "Eren?" he asked hoping for Eren to say anything at all.

"No," Eren said finally confirming Levi's hopes.

Levi was surprised how relieved he felt to hear that. Could he have been jealous? He almost blurted out 'Good' but grimaced instead to keep the word from leaving his throat. Out of all the ridiculous things on this earth he had actually felt jealous because of Eren. The mere thought that some other werewolf might have been Eren's first choice make him nauseous with jealousy.

"Is everything alright?" Eren's quivering voice asked.

The amount of uncertainty in it made Levi want nothing else than reassure his mate that he was fine.

"No," Levi spat out and rolled them over in a flash. "I do not ever want you to think of another," he demanded out loud as he loomed over Eren.

"I am not thinking of anyone!" Eren answered his face flushed from embarrassment.

"Not even me?" Levi asked his tone dropping low.

Eren gulped. How had this taken such a turn? "Maybe," Eren answered carefully.

Levi sat up, straddling Eren in place while leaning over him. He put his weight forward on one arm. He placed his free hand on Eren's cheek and ran his thumb over his lips. "You know, I'd be happy to hear that you think about me. I do hope that I am on your mind as much as you are one mine." Levi had thought about Eren during his night patrols. Maybe it was high time to do some wooing. He had refrained from doing so until now. Things had changed into his favour now that Eren was pregnant and they had a chance for pretty nice future together if the whole pregnancy thing turned out okay. If their kids were 'normal' in a twisted kind of way.

All things considered he saw Eren in a different light now. With the ferocity that Eren had stood behind his words and actions was something that Levi found interesting. Just the way he wanted his mate to be, headstrong and a little bit of stubborn, not easily swayed by others.

Eren was blushing, twisting his face away from Levi. His ears were pointed towards the back of his head. It spoke of submission in its own silent way.

"Aren't you going to answer me?" Levi asked softly, urging the young wolf to come clean about his thoughts.

"Why are you asking me this?" Eren squeezed his eyes shut.

"Is it a secret?"

"N-no," Eren stammered.

"Then surely you can tell me what you think of me, hmm?" But he didn't get an answer from the young wolf so he ran his fingers across Eren's cheek. "Eren?" He prompted the young wolf to answer him.

"I don't know," Eren quickly breathed.

"You must know something." Levi leaned in, his breath ghosting over the side of Eren's face. "Look at me." He tried to turn Eren's face towards his own but the wolf was a stubborn one, resisting Levi. "Do you have feelings for me?"

Eren didn't know what Levi was after with this inquiry. What could he say other than, "Of course I do. I just don't know what kind of feelings they are."

Levi finally gave up trying to make Eren face him. "Fair enough."

Something made Eren continue, "I do like you even if I sometimes say I don't."

Levi wanted to chuckle but didn't. "I'd hope so. You are going to spend the rest of your life with me after all. It would be bad if we fought all the time, hmm?" Just to tease the young wolf, he pressed his lips on Eren's neck.

Eren involuntarily shivered and opened his eyes. When Levi's tongue touched his skin he quickly said, "Just do it if you're hungry."

Now Levi chuckled, suckling on the tender neck without extending his fangs. "You know, even if I am not present I can pick up your mood." There had been times when he had woken up from his sleep during the days by strong emotions from Eren or in some cases sensations. Not all of them had been bad ones either. "How distracted are you during your lessons?" Levi's tone dropped to a teasing one. He returned to suckle the reddish skin.

Eren hadn't known that Levi would notice such things. He had indeed been a bit distracted today and maybe he hadn't listened to his father as much as he should have while his thoughts were plagued by Levi. Or more precisely he had been thinking of the sensations that Levi's bites gave him. Maybe it was odd thing to fantasize about but he couldn't help it. His libido had a mind of his own today but so far he had been able to control it.

Until now.

Levi noticed the rise in Eren's heartbeat and heard it in his heavy breathing. He let his fangs sank into Eren's neck. The young wolf gasped, tensed and shivered underneath him. Eren's hands grasped hold of Levi's shoulders to keep himself steady. He couldn't keep a moan from escaping past his lips. His fantasy of the day was coming true so he gave into the it.

Levi was enjoying his breakfast from the panting werewolf. He wondered if Eren would be up to a morning quickie or did he have enough time before Grisha would call him back to one of his lectures.

It was not Grisha who disturbed them but Carla. "Eren! Lunch is ready!"

Levi growled because his plans for continuation had been shot down. Gulping down the delicious blood for several seconds more, Levi savoured the taste as much as he could. Eren's blood tasted divine right now. The taste had changed gradually as Eren's condition had changed. Levi could not get enough of it.

Regretting that he had to let his delicious mate go, he retreated his fangs and sat up. "You better go and eat." He put some distance between himself and the flustered young wolf. "Enjoy your meal like I did."

"Why do I put up with you…" Eren muttered under his breath as he adjusted his clothes to appear more decent, hoping his arousal would not be part of the lunch table conversation today.

"Because you _like_ me," Levi called after him just as Eren closed the door.

* * *

><p>Author's Note.. Muhahahahahahhaa!<p>

Also this starts my two month hiatus. I am not going to go into the details about the reasons because there are many and they are personal too. See you in August!


	34. Chapter 33

**AN: ****So 2 months went by kind of slowly for me but here I am back again! :)**

**This chapter is a tad longer than normally. I decided to break a few of my word limits, just by a little, cos I needed to have these things in this same chapter hehehe! This is not the longest chapter or anything but... anyways, enjoy!**

**I better get on the last spurt on writing this baby till the finish line!**

**Oh btw, I want to thank everyone who has kept reading this story so thanks for all the comments and whatnot! Like I said above the last spurt is starting for me. I can't make any sort of guess how many chapters are **

**Maybe 10?**

**Maybe 20?**

**Who knows! xD**

**But for me this is kind of like the last spurt cos it is time to .. soon at least.. start closing the plot. I know exactly how this ends. There are going to be a few things here that I need to take my time to write so that they are written properly and not 'badly'. Oh well, exciting times ahead. I promise!**

**Tumblr URL: Daktasinsanity**

**Tracking tags on:**

**#fic: both sides of the same coin**

**#fic: bsotsc**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 33<strong>

* * *

><p>Levi was sorely disappointed by the end of the week. All of their private time had been reduced to '<em>morning<em>' cuddles before Levi left to his nightly patrol. Grisha had asked him politely enough to keep on making those patrols _to make himself useful_ to the pack.

There had been no sign of the humans for over a week. Levi wanted to believe that they would not come back or find them in the first place.

The construction of the wall was coming along nicely. The werewolves certainly had experience in building things and working as a team. While others got the trees required, others build trenches where to sink them to form a thick and high enough wall around the village. The terrain gave them a few advantages. There were three big rocks sticking out of the ground. Levi was not sure if those were part of the rocky mountain or what but they gave excellent cover. Using the existing trees to navigate the wall through the woods, the wall would not look too artificial.

They made sure to move some bushes a few paces in front of certain part of the wall. They made sure the wall was not entirely straight, giving it a small tilt towards the village creating a steep slope. As soon as a part of the wall was done, the outside of the wall was covered with moss to camouflage it into the existing nature so that from far away it would just seem that there was nothing but a possible rock or hill up ahead.

They made an exit over a hole that would be too steep to climb up to the gate but easy for the wolves to jump down to. Just to be sure the main gate was placed on the Southern wall with faced an open field. Camouflaging that would be a tricky one but it seemed people had confidence in their craft.

Levi hoped that all the effort these people put into their construction would pay off.

The wolves left enough room for future buildings in case their pack grew. Although it would be easy to remove a few tree trunks from between living trees in case they ever needed to expand.

The wall was built within weeks of the start of its construction. The werewolves almost never stopped working until it was done. At the same time the materials for Levi and Eren's house had been gathered.

Levi did not know yet what exactly Mikasa's father had planned for the house and he was eagerly waiting if they could make a functioning building for a family of possibly sun-sensitive individuals.

Levi knew that their offsprings might not be able to stand under the hot rays of the sun. He wondered if Eren had thought about it yet.

Levi continued his walk through his patrol path even when the wall had been built. Although he saw no reason for him to do this since now there was a few individuals keeping guard at every hour of the day.

Besides he couldn't go beyond the wall. He would get too far away from Eren.

So maybe it was time to do something different.

He decided not to finish the last bit of his routine and headed home instead.

The humans had not shown themselves in the area after Reiner's disappearance. Some of the young werewolves had done a few patrols in the woods against the wishes of their families. But their reports were always the same; no signs of humans or Reiner.

As silently as possible Levi made his way through the house. Or he tried to until Grisha stopped him just when he reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to Eren's room.

"Levi, I want to speak to you for a moment."

The vampire stood still, waiting for the werewolf to make his thoughts known.

"Come to my study if you please," Grisha said with politeness that was kind of foreign coming from him towards Levi.

Nevertheless Levi followed the werewolf. He was tired as the sun was rising soon but surely Grisha had something important to say.

"You have been great help with keeping an eye out for the humans but I think they are not coming here any time soon. Winter is upon us and we need to start thinking about Eren's condition and how it affects your life. You have no idea what it means to take care of a pregnant werewolf."

Which was true but Levi was sure he could handle it.

"That is not all that you need to know either," Grisha continued. "Now that Eren is definitely pregnant and everyone knows it, he will need your attention much more than before. Not only because he wants it but it will not look good in the eyes of others if you let him wander around the village without his mate. It is a matter of territory," Grisha finished with an expectant look on his face, expecting Levi to understand what he meant. "If you neglect him it will translate to the others that you do not care about him despite what you have said in the past."

"So what you mean is I cannot let him out of my sight? Isn't that going a bit too far given that our sleep rhythms are almost the opposite from one another?" Levi asked. He would need to change his habits if that was what Grisha meant.

"It is about showing that he is yours and if anyone dares to harm him, you will protect him. Nothing else. Eren will expect it from you."

"And I will but he is safe inside the village?"

"That is not the point," Grisha said and then paused to sigh. "There is power struggles every full moon. The ranks within the pack might get reorganized in unexpected ways. No one has dared to challenge me in dozens of years but the younger wolves always quarrel between themselves to see who is the strongest." The last time Grisha had to fight for the right of leader ship had been fifty years ago when Mikasa's father had challenged him. After suffering a loss the man had pledged himself as his most loyal follower and Grisha knew he could trust him with his life. No one had challenged him since.

"Does this mean someone will attack Eren?" Levi was curious and also concerned.

"No. Pregnant wolves are under the protection of the pack no matter what but their mates are not. You know what that means."

"Someone might challenge me."

Grisha's nod confirmed his conclusion.

* * *

><p>Levi started right then to change his sleep rhythm. Instead of cuddling right next to Eren he sat down at the desk, watching his mate sleep. Eren would get up in an hour or two. He would stay up till then and then tell Eren to wake him up at noon.<p>

But Eren was having none of that.

Eren had stirred when he came into the room and peeked at him from under the covers. "Come here," the werewolf pleaded with a croaked voice.

"Go back to sleep," Levi ordered him not moving from his seat.

"No," the young wolf said adamantly rubbing his eyes and taking a better look at his mate. "Levi," he whispered stretching out seductively.

Apparently Eren was in the mood for something else than sleeping.

This was not a new development. Eren had more or less felt hot and bothered for the past few weeks but they had not had the chance to act on it without someone always interrupting them. Thus, Levi had decided not to take it to the next level because he wanted to give Eren more attention than some brief moment of passion.

"Everyone else is asleep," Eren tried to tease him, lifting the hem of his shirt. The young wolf was wearing clothes for some reason which surprised Levi. Eren must have been tired when falling asleep with his clothes on.

"Your father isn't," Levi said, hoping it would contain Eren's enthusiasm.

Eren sighed but didn't give up on his mission to get laid. "Then we will be as quiet as possible?"

"Quiet? You?" Levi said out loud his suspicion that Eren wouldn't be able keep his voice down.

"I can if I want to," Eren assured him, taking his shirt off.

"Eren," Levi gave him a warning that he was not going to join Eren in his little game. "This is not the time."

"Then when is it?" Eren huffed. He had only wanted some intimacy. He wanted to feel _wanted_. It had been over a month since Levi had touched him in such a way. Even while feeding off of him Levi had not gone any further than leaving Eren all hot and bothered.

"Later."

Eren hummed annoyed by the vague answer. "Just admit it that you don't find me attractive anymore." Eren's hands caressed his growing baby bump. Maybe he looked fat now. He had been eating a lot more than before and had received a praise from his mother for the effort.

"For heaven's sake," Levi cursed under his breath. How on earth did Eren come to these conclusions? "You look fine."

"Prove it," Eren challenged him.

Levi narrowed his eyes at his mate who was starting to grin deviously at him. "I'm not falling for that."

"I'm ugly then."

"Eren, you are being an idiot."

"Maybe I should get really fat so you don't have to worry about having any urges to touch me once the pups are born."

Levi was fed up with Eren's shit but he took a moment to keep himself calm and not saying anything further. It did frustrate him that they hadn't had much of private time and when they did, one of them was always exhausted or someone kept interrupting them. It would be great to stay up at the same time as Eren. Maybe then they would find more time to spend alone and build their relationship in peace.

Because right now, Eren hardly had the time to do so with his training and eating. Eren was taking naps too, finding himself exhausted more and more.

There was no way for Levi to deny his mate the rest he needed. From the looks of it, Eren would be carrying for three months. The next month would tell them more about the growing rate of the life inside of Eren. Armin had said they were up for an exam tomorrow. If the pregnancy was going normally by werewolf standards then they should be able to hear heartbeat of the child already.

But all of that was far from Eren's mind at the moment as he sulked in silence.

Levi sensed the disappointment coming from Eren. So he moved to the bed and sat next to his mate. "I don't find you disgusting at all," he said placing his hand on top of Eren's on the belly of the young wolf. "And it doesn't matter what weight you are. You are still going to be you."

Eren teared up. His green eyes swelling with unshed tears. "I'm sorry," the young wolf hurried to say. Furiously wiping his eyes. "I don't know what has come over me."

"It's the hormones," Levi commented. He had been told pretty thoroughly previously how things were going to be with Eren. He had been expecting this kind of behaviour but was he really supposed to give into Eren's every whim?

"So I am not ugly?" Eren asked his voice trembling and fresh tears leaking out of his eyes.

Levi let his gaze wander over Eren's form. Eren had gained weight but he looked anything but ugly. The weight gain was not huge but surely Eren would gain some more in the next months, as many as there were, before giving birth. Then it would be Levi's job to keep him fed until Eren was able to go and hunt on his own again.

Levi especially liked Eren's thighs.

At the moment they were covered by Eren's pants but Levi knew how delicious they looked. The rounded thighs made him want to sink his teeth into to the succulent flesh.

Eren's skin had become softer. Levi had found himself more than once trailing his fingers on the smoothness of it. Even now his hands itched to touch his mate in affectionate way just to feel the soft skin on his finger tips.

But if he did that, then he would give Eren a message that it was more than okay to cross a line that Levi was trying to draw here.

So instead of putting up a fight and continuing to argue with his mate, Levi leaned over his form and whispered, "I promise to you that one of these days I'll give you all the attention you could ask for and more." He intended to keep his word and he was sure he could if he made the effort to change his sleep rhythm.

Eren's eyes were wide and he was no longer crying. "Really?" the young wolf asked in a hushed tone.

"Yes, really." Levi placed a kiss on Eren's forehead.

Eren gave him a smile. "I'm looking forward to it."

* * *

><p>Eren sighed for the fifth time that day. He was tired. His soles were sore, his back ached and he was hungry. The back of his head felt clammy and there was the cursed horniness too but he could care less about that. He wanted to get cleaned up and enjoy a good meal before turning in for the night.<p>

He almost cheered when his father let him leave. Tonight was a banquet night and Eren could not wait to eat the delicious food presented there.

He regretted that he hadn't had the time for a bath yesterday and now he was running late because of his father's decision to keep him a bit longer than usual with some important things.

He had not had the time to keep company for Levi either. The vampire had been trying to keep up with his daily rhythm lately. When Eren had asked the vampire had grunted something about being useful to Eren if he managed to stay by his side. Eren had been touched by this odd development but he suspected his father had something to do with the sudden change.

Either way, Eren was making his way into the room upstairs. He saw Levi sitting up on the bed, reading a book in the dim light without a problem. The vampire looked up when Eren entered but returned back to his task as Eren rummaged through his drawer for fresh clothes.

"We are running late but I really need a bath," Eren said.

"Late for the banquet?" Levi inquired closing his book. "Is that even possible?"

"Well people usually show up before my father does. I don't know how they know to do it but they do." And Grisha was probably on his way to the banquet right now.

"A bath should not take that long," Levi agreed.

Eren hurried out of the door with Levi closely behind him. Eren's mind was on the banquet and how he just wanted to relax for once today.

Levi kept looking at him while they soaked in the hot spring but Eren didn't notice it. His eyes were closed as the warm water soothed his aching muscles.

"Are you alright?" Levi's smooth voice reached Eren's ears.

"Yeah," Eren breathed out. "This is so nice." He didn't want to get up from the warmth of the spring but they needed to go to the dinner sooner or later.

"I can carry you if you'd like?"

Eren snapped his eyes open. "Really?"

Levi chuckled at the adorable face of his mate. "Yes. You are not exactly heavy."

"You are too good to me," Eren whispered, reaching his hands towards Levi, wrapping them around his neck.

Levi easily carried Eren out of the spring. Eren didn't need to say a thing for Levi to know he was pleased with this sort of attention. "You seem tired." Levi did not expect much of an answer or explanation.

Eren just hummed, absentminded and content.

Levi helped him wash in the cool water of the lake. Winter was on it's way and Levi would not be surprised if it snowed any day now. Which made him wonder. "Do you wash yourselves here during the winter?"

Eren shook his head. "No, the water is rather cold even for us. We use that," he said pointing a building some way off the shore. "To wash up. We heat the water," Eren continued his explanation which Levi did tune out a bit.

"Can you show me?" Levi asked interrupting Eren as he was saying something further about the matter.

Eren looked at him and nodded. "Yeah okay."

The building had a spacious changing room as Eren called it. He also explained that some people skipped the hot spring completely and came straight here during the winter. Then Eren showed him the room where the washing happened and Levi mind was not exactly on the topic anymore.

"Eren," he said softly, making the werewolf pause with his words about how the heating worked.

Levi let his emotions run wild, knowing Eren would pick upon them.

Eren gulped, his mouth drying out when Levi wrapped his arm around his waist gently, not being too violent when pushing their naked forms together.

"You asked me if I thought you were ugly but you look more delicious everyday," Levi's tone was low and seductive.

"Ah," Eren managed to say when Levi's fingers touched his nipple, teasing the hardening nub. Eren's nipples had been feeling odd for a while now but Eren had been reassured that he wouldn't be breast feeding in his human form.

The fingers were replaced by Levi's mouth and tongue.

"Oh god," Eren gasped as pleasure shot down to his groin. Suddenly the room felt a lot warmer than it had before. Something so small had triggered his slumbering arousal.

Levi wrenched his mouth away from Eren's skin as the urge to bite down on the tender flesh came too strong.

Eren noticed Levi's fangs growing. "Please, don't bite me yet," he whispered. "I want you to do it when you are inside me." Eren's face flushed as anticipation filled his being. There was no questions inside his head if this was going to happen or not. Levi's desire was thick in the air. Eren pushed his face into Levi's neck breathing in his scent. His tongue darted out to taste the pale skin marred by the bite mark. Closing his mouth to place a kiss on the said skin, he moved his lips towards Levi's mouth to capture it into a heated one.

Levi liked how Eren's desire flared into life so fast. Levi poured all the sorries and apologies for neglecting him into the kiss that they shared.

Eren moaned and their kiss turned into a series of hurried, messy kisses.

Eren hissed, drawing back when one of Levi's fangs accidentally scratched his lower lip, drawing blood.

"Shh." Levi pulled him back into a kiss, his tongue soothingly going over the injury. Tasting Eren's blood was pure bliss and he had to reel his thoughts away from the temptation of feeding. He wanted to give Eren what the young wolf had asked for. He'd hold back until he was buried inside his mate, making him moan from pleasure rather than his bite.

Levi stepped back and fell on his knees. He tugged at Eren's arm to get the young wolf to sit down on his lap. The wooden floor was not cold and the room was pleasantly warm, apparently someone had used it recently. "I want to wreck you," he whispered to his mate who was finally where he wanted him to be. "This reminds me of our first time, hmm?"

Eren's ears were drawn back and a blush adores his face. "Yeah," the werewolf answered with a whisper.

"Do you remember how desperate you were back then? You crawled into my lap. You made me lose control," Levi taunted.

"I should be the one saying that," Eren remarked. "I do remember how I went completely crazy with lust thanks to you."

It brought back memories, good ones. Levi rubbed the skin of Eren's ass with his hands. "I can't wait for your next heat. Whenever that will be." He said, knowing that it would be over a year before he would be able to claim Eren again like that. He couldn't risk being at the receiving end of the wrath of Grisha if he got Eren pregnant again before the young wolf turned twenty. He had given his word.

Eren smirked at him. "We better make the most of it while we can," he said knowing the same facts as Levi did. "Besides we better make it quick and good 'cause I am hungry as hell."

Levi laughed at Eren, kissing his collarbone. "Indeed but I was hoping for a bit more than that," Levi admitted.

Eren didn't answer him but smashed their lips together, grinding against the vampire. "Don't make me wait," he whispered.

The place couldn't have been more perfect. No one knew what they were up to and wouldn't come looking either. Or if they did, they would hear the noises Eren made and keep their distance from a pregnant and horny werewolf being taken care of by their mate.

Eren grinded himself deeper into Levi's lap. His mouth abandoned Levi's and he let his tongue run over the thin lips that were puffed from the kisses they had shared.

Levi was concerned about Eren squeezing himself too tight against him but the werewolf took a firm hold of the vampire's shoulders, pushing his upper torso away from Levi.

But the vampire followed after him. Levi's mouth found Eren's nipples again, giving each equal amount of attention.

Eren growled, baring his teeth when Levi had still not gotten anywhere near with claiming him. Grinding against Levi was to be his last hint before he would flip the vampire over and do it himself.

The vampire chuckled at him, knowing fully well what that growl meant. "Lift your hips," he said to his young mate.

He guided his hard cock into Eren's slick ass. Levi simply loved how Eren was self lubricating being. All thanks to him joining with another male. Levi had missed the heat that now surrounded him as he pushed deeper and deeper into his lovely mate.

When Levi was finally inside him, Eren sighed and whined at earnest. Eren had missed this. The emotions crashing through him were like a drug he hadn't known he had been addicted to. They went with slow movements, unhurried pace. The sensation of making love to his mate was the best thing Eren knew on this earth.

He loved every second of it.

Levi sank his fangs into the inviting neck in front of him. Eren in return sank his fingers into Levi's hair, grabbing hold of his head, riding out the orgasm that the bite brought him.

Eren's feelings overflowed and his mouth spew words he didn't register himself.

But Levi heard them all.

The vampire did not ask or comment on them. The moment was too precious to break with inquiries if Eren meant what he said in a heat of a moment.

Eren was exhausted, clinging to Levi with his last bit of strength. But he didn't really need to, Levi had him. "This was actually really good thing we did," Eren commented after a while of catching his breath.

"Felt amazing," was Levi's answer but Eren shook his head.

"No, that is not what I meant. The full moon is soon and I needed to scent mark you before that. Now it's done and I don't need to worry."

"Why? What's going to happen?" Levi asked as it suddenly dawned to him that he had no idea what it actually meant to spend a full moon in a town full of werewolves.

"Everyone gathers to hunt together. Pups are taken care of by the lowest ranking females. Rankings might be challenged or not. We behave just like a real wolf pack would. So it is important you have my scent on you so everyone knows you are my mate. I need to you stay close to me when that night comes."

"Of course. I wouldn't let you out of my sight even if you asked."

"Good." Eren sighed in relief. "I wouldn't know what to do if something happened to you."

"Your father said that someone might challenge me. What does that mean exactly?"

"He did?" Eren asked out loud in wonder. "Well it means that someone might want to try to gain in rank, to see if you are any good and deserve your position as my mate. They can't challenge the mating but they can make me look bad in a way if you were proven to be weak. They could rise higher than me in the ranking and to gain that back I or you'd need to challenge them later on."

"So I only need to win and everything is fine?"

"Pretty much. No one can challenge me since I'm pregnant."

"I'll protect you either way," Levi said.

"Just don't kill anybody. It's not about that."

Levi chuckled. "So I can hurt them enough to make them to back off?"

"Yes, but no permanent damage, please."

"Alright." That much Levi could promise. Although it would be the first time he wouldn't be killing someone who attacked him so he hoped they would be none that did.


	35. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34**

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><p>They made their way back to the pack. The banquet was in full swing. Levi ignored the amused looks they got when people spotted them walking back, holding hands. Levi received a slap on the shoulder from Armin's grandfather as soon as he sat down. "Oh what it was like to be young," the old man said with a toothy grin on his face.<p>

The old man did not seem to realize that Levi was much older than him. But Levi did not want to burst his bubble. He let the comment slide since he was not sure what the old man was referring to. Levi made an assumption that the old man smelled something he himself didn't.

"Oh, which reminds me," the old man started. "I have something for you Levi. I'll give it to you later."

Levi was left guessing what he could possibly be talking about for the duration of the banquet.

Levi was also left with the job of observing how Eren ate too much for it to be possible to fit inside the werewolf. Eren defied the laws of nature. But all in all Levi was happy to see the young wolf eating. It meant he was healthy and so their child would be too.

"Levi," the old werewolf said, tapping the vampire on the shoulder after getting up from his seat soon after he had finished eating.

When the vampire turned to face the old man he saw the grandfather was holding something long which turned out to be made of wood and leather. Levi crunched his eyebrows together in confusion.

"Grisha and I talked one evening and he told me you requested something that would make you able to walk under the sunlight just like any of us," Armin's grandfather said. "I already had one that I was making so it took me no time at all to finish it." The old man unraveled the object and Levi realized he was looking at an umbrella made of wood and leather. The craftsmanship that had gone into it was remarkable.

"It is yours to use as you please. I'll give you the oil that will keep the joints performing correctly. You need to oil it up once a month or the wood dries up and it might crack. Replacing a part is not an easy thing to do so take good care of it," the grandfather said with a serious tone but then flashed a toothy grin. "I might not be here to fix it if you do break it."

"Thank you," Levi blurted out, not knowing what to say or how to thank the old man enough.

Levi took a good look at the item and noticed how there was a great detail of markings burned on the leather that faced up towards the sky. He would take his time back at home and see what the details were. Now he could only shook the old man's hand and thanked him once again.

* * *

><p>Levi listened to Eren's soft breathing as they laid in bed that night. Eren had fallen asleep right after they had gotten back from the banquet.<p>

He trailed a random pattern on Eren's shoulder with his fingertips as he let his thoughts wander. He couldn't help himself from thinking about the words that had spilled from Eren's mouth previously that evening.

"_Right there, I love you, I love you so much,"_ had the young wolf chanted breathlessly at the peak of his pleasure.

Now Levi had the time to analyse what Eren had said and what it meant. He doubted the werewolf would repeat those words if he asked him to.

But the feelings were real. At least as far as Levi knew the feelings pouring out of Eren at that moment had been loving ones. If he was honest he was doubting his own judgement right now because he didn't really know what love _would_ feel like given their bond.

It could be that the young wolf was only overcome by his emotional and hormonal state, saying things he didn't actually mean. Lust was often mistaken for love.

_Maybe Eren is imagining that he is in love when he truly isn't? _

Whatever the case maybe Levi had to decide on his own how to deal with it. Eren loving him should only be a positive thing, right?

But there also was the risk of hurting his feelings if Levi was not careful enough. As long as he did his everything to keep Eren safe that would be enough.

_Right?_

_Right._

* * *

><p>Eren and Levi were sitting in Grisha's office, getting ready for their first proper examination by Armin. Or Eren was going to be examined and Levi would observe the procedure. Levi didn't know what he expected to happen but Armin pressing his ear flat against Eren's belly was not it. Eren's belly was exposed to give Armin the best chance of hearing what was going on inside.<p>

Armin had asked them to be as quiet as possible. Once he had set his ear on the bare skin no one dared to even move a muscle. "Hold your breath," Armin had commanded the young wolf as he listened carefully. "Hmm," Armin hummed and lifted his head. "I'd say there is at least three separate heartbeats."

"Three?!" both Levi and Eren exclaimed but both for different reasons.

Eren was excited, looking at his belly with eyes filled with adoration. Levi on the other hand was having hard time grasping that he would be father of more than one kid.

"Three? Are you sure?" Levi asked from Armin, staring at the baby bump as if the puppies would burst out any second.

"As sure as I can be at the moment. There could be more. His pregnancy seems to be advancing at the rate of a normal werewolf one."

"More? More than three?" Levi asked unbelieving that soon his life was about to change drastically.

"It is hard to tell but I can promise three distinct heart beats."

"It is finally sinking in," Eren said in awe. He was starting to finally grasp the concept of becoming a father or a mother in this case. Life was growing inside him and they had their own beating hearts to prove it. Feelings swelled inside his chest that he could hardly contain.

"Eren," Levi said quietly, grasping a hold of Eren's hand. "Calm down."

"But but.." Eren managed to say before tears spilled from his eyes. "I'm going to have pups!" he choked out, crying.

Levi didn't know what to say. His mate was overly emotional and his burst started to affect him too. He felt like crying as well. "Get a hold of yourself," he tried to say it gently but ended up growling.

"Levi!" the young wolf cried out, his eyes red from the force of the tears. "I want you so bad."

Levi grunted something as the lust rolled off from Eren straight into his own gut. He was embarrassed to have Armin witness this. "Don't say things like that when crying your eyes out, idiot," he said to Eren, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

Armin chuckled watching their exchange. "Eren's behaviour is completely normal. You should leave to take care of him. He needs a lot of attention in the next month or two before giving birth."

Eren squeezed Levi's hand tightly. "I want to cuddle," he informed his mate, his tears finally drying out.

"Alright. Let's go back to our room and cuddle," the vampire agreed happy that Eren seemed to have calmed down just as quickly as he had broken down in tears.

When they made it back to their room, Eren was all over him, kissing, nibbling and rubbing himself against Levi.

"I thought you said you wanted to cuddle?" Levi tried his best to get Eren back under control. The damn beast was too enthusiastic for him though.

"After," Eren purred, claiming Levi's lips into a heated kiss.

"Anyone could walk in," Levi pointed out as Eren was undoing the buttons if his shirt faster than he thought possible.

"Let them," Eren breathed out, his breath ghosting over Levi's lips before he nibbled at those said lips.

Levi knew he could fight his mate if he didn't truly want this. "Oh, to hell with it," he growled and latched his mouth over Eren's, returning the passion and helping Eren to undress them both.

* * *

><p>Eren was fidgeting, nervous about the upcoming night.<p>

Levi had picked upon in it in the morning as soon as they woke up. He did not let Eren out of sight as he first did not realize why the young wolf was so nervous for.

Not until they met some of Eren's friends.

"Damn shame you are popping 'cos I'd love to have a match tonight," Jean said to Eren, shaking his head in regret.

Eren took a step closer to Levi, clutching his arm for support. "I'd kick your ass if I could," Eren growled.

Levi looked between them trying to piece together what on earth they were going on about. Then it dawned to him, the full moon was tonight. "Want me to protect your honor?" he asked Eren who's his fingers were like a vise around his bicep.

Eren smirked. "Hear that horse-face? Levi will kick your sorry ass in my stead."

"Ooooh?" Jean stretched the vocal as his interest piqued. "Are you any good, vampire?" the young wolf taunted.

Levi kept his face blank and shrugged. "I guess you'll find out later."

Jean hummed unimpressed by Levi's lack of enthusiasm. "I guess I will."

Eren was stiff beside him and Levi wondered if he really would have to fight Jean. He voiced his thought later when they were making their way back home for lunch.

Eren was on the edge and Levi was not surprised. He himself was quite nervous for what he would witness that upcoming night.

* * *

><p>Levi had not expected what he saw later that night. Yes, he had thought of the masses of wolves but not how it happened.<p>

He tried to avert his eyes from the sight but it was like a weird cultist gathering or a ritual when people stepped out of their houses, stripped their clothing and changed from human to wolf form in matter of seconds. Some people even walked out completely naked and just changed forms once outside.

Eren did the same although Levi did not like it one bit that his mate was exposed for even a second. Levi saw a few people looking at Eren while the young wolf changed forms.

Eren had explained to Levi that his form changing had no effect on the pups growing inside him. They stayed protected inside the womb, in their own little world.

Eren had also briefed him about the things that would happen at every gathering like this. Levi tried his best to remember the script so he knew when to stand up for Eren and when not.

Eren on the other hand was a little bit nervous, having Levi attending the gathering for the first time. He was sure he had forgotten to mention something to Levi and some sort of disaster was bound to happen.

"_Just stay with me, okay?_" had been Eren's frantic words and the werewolf had even licked Levi's face.

Levi had promised him that he would not stray too far that he'd be right there to hold Eren's paw if needed.

Eren had wanted to smack him for such a comment. Now his focus was on his non-werewolf mate as Eren beckoned him to follow him by nodding his head towards the others.

Levi walked right besides Eren's huge form. He came to realize that Eren was by far the biggest werewolf in the whole village. It was almost ridiculous how big he was compared to the others who by far were not small, not in wolf standards anyway.

Levi also pretty quickly came to the conclusion that he could not tell people apart. He had no idea who was who. How would he know whom to trust?

He could tell Grisha and Carla apart from how the pair lead the pack to a hunt. Levi noticed Eren lagging behind and they waited for others to go first. Soon enough the whole pack was outside the gates, spilling into the woods beyond.

The moon was hiding behind a thick layer of clouds. The woods seemed like an eerie place when almost fifty werewolves made their way through it with quiet finesse that Levi had the pleasure to witness.

The wolves were fast and getting farther away by the second. Eren gave him a look that Levi could not decipher. Then without asking Eren lowered himself on the ground, giving Levi the sharp look again.

"Ah." Levi hoped he realized what Eren meant. He got on Eren's back and soon enough Eren was rising back to his feet, taking off after the others. It was a good thing Levi was holding onto Eren's fur because he would have fallen if he hadn't.

The hunt itself was quite uneventful since Eren did not take part in it personally. The others caught enough for everyone and Eren was among the first to eat after all the pups of the pack had been fed.

Levi could sense the disappointment coming from Eren which he guessed meant that Eren would have liked to take part. _Maybe it is because of me that he can't?_ That was the only logical explanation as the wolves did go out of sight more than once. But nevertheless from what he saw Levi was in awe by the teamwork that the wolves had. No sounds were made once a hunt began. Everyone knew their role and what to do. The pups observing the hunt closely with a few chosen pack members who kept an eye on them throughout the night.

Levi did not know how many hours the hunt took but he learned a lot during it. He did look around carefully, finding several landmarks that the wolves seemed to use as well. He knew he would need this information later when he'd be hunting, possibly all alone, for Eren.

Once the whole pack had eaten they made their way back to the village. One or two wolves had stayed behind to protect the territory and for them they brought back part of the prey.

Levi sensed Eren getting nervous again and that didn't help Levi keep his own under the wraps.

As soon as Levi got down from Eren's back a small wolf approached them without a worry. Clearly this individual was on good terms with Eren and Levi was left to guess who it was. The fur of the wolf was light as sand with streaks of darker tones all over it. The wolf looked almost golden in middle of the much darker toned collection of furs.

On top of the color difference, the wolf was much smaller than Eren. As soon as the wolf had reached them Eren gave its tiny head a lick, leaving the smaller individual shaking its head from the wet kiss.

The wolves mingled, some bickering and some giving each other affectionate touches. The pups were playing, learning how to defend themselves by curiously watching the older ones having test of strenght.

Even Levi was watching the wolves squabble around. He watched how the challenging happened and what to expect if someone approached him. As soon as one of the wolves had had enough, it exposed its neck to its opponent and the fighting ended.

Levi glanced to see Eren still playing with the smaller wolf. Levi kept an eye on Eren just in case but he knew that the young wolf could take care of himself easily.

Then he saw a small group of wolves approach them. Levi noticed that they were not looking at Eren but him. Was he supposed to fight them all at once or what? Just in case the trio had bad ideas about giving him a lesson, he took a few steps forward to put some distance between himself and Eren yet effectively shielding Eren from the trio.

Eren sensed his sudden unease and stopped playing with Armin. He saw Levi advancing slowly towards three of his friends, Jean, Connie and Mikasa's brother Paul. The three had their eyes on the vampire as if he was a piece of meat.

Eren whined, wanting to warn Levi not to do anything until one of them attacked but he didn't need to because Levi had stopped moving and was standing still, clearly waiting for a threatening growl.

Armin poked Eren with his nose to give his support that Levi would be fine.

The vampire didn't have to wait long as one of the wolves took a step forward and growled at him, baring its teeth in clear sign of a challenge.

"As you wish," was all Levi said as he got ready to take on a werewolf, not for the first time in his life either. _Just don't kill the wolf,_ he thought. Judging by the way the wolf was aggressive he thought it to be Jean.

The wolf charged at him, snapping its teeth trying to catch hold of the sleeve of his coat.

Levi was having none of that.

He evaded to the right but soon the wolf was turning to come after him again. This time Levi evaded just by an inch, hitting the wolf on the side as he sidestepped the attack. His hit was a mere slap as he tried not to break any bones if it was not necessary.

He deemed it okay to hit a bit harder because the wolf didn't even flinch. As they fought on, Levi considered different type of battle plans. He took in account that he might still have the other two to fight.

Eren shivered as the fighting continued. The feeling he was getting from Levi was not one of distress. The vampire was enjoying playing with the wolf who had not yet managed to bite him at all. To say the least the fight was almost humiliating to watch.

"Ready to give up?" Levi asked the wolf who was getting angrier by the minute. He had used slaps and light punches to drive the wolf away. He had avoided hitting the wolf on any vital points but he was ready to settle this dance with one final move.

The wolf growled and jumped at him. Levi took a quick step to right, slammed his hand on the side of the wolf, sending the beast tumbling to the ground. The pained whine that came out of the wolf, made him smile.

The wolf breathed heavily, watching him silently for a moment before lying down and exposing its neck to Levi. The vampire placed his hand around the wolf's throat for a few seconds, giving it a soft squeeze before letting go. He had seen the other wolves bite their opponents gently on the neck once they admitted defeat. He couldn't do that or he wouldn't. He didn't want his mouth full of wolf hairs.

The next two wolves he defeated much faster. The last one of the three he defeated in mere seconds. When the wolf attacked he let it bite into his arm. He lifted the arm, the wolf rising with it. He then kicked at the back feet of the wolf and slammed the unbalanced wolf into the ground. All of it happening in a few seconds, too quickly for the wolf to comprehend until it was on the ground on its back with a vicious vampire hissing at it while choking its throat with his other hand.

The wolf let go of his arm and whined admitting defeat.

Eren rushed to his side as soon as the fight was over. The wolf's fangs had pierced his skin. Blood had managed to stain his shirt and coat but the wound was already healing.

"I'm fine," Levi said as Eren was trying to get a look at his arm. "It's healing already. Don't worry." His coat sleeve was ruined but he could live with it.

Eren gave Levi's face several happy licks which Levi took head on his eyes squeezed shut.

"I get it, I get it, stop," the vampire crumbled under his breath, hoping that only Eren heard him. He ruffled Eren's fur on either side of his head, petting his mate to make him stop the licking.

If Levi was truthful he felt disappointed by the end result of the fights. No one else besides those three even tried to challenge him.

The night came to an end with Eren tugging him along back towards the house.


	36. Chapter 35

**AN: I'm sorry this took a bit longer than I planned to update. I had rather rough few days. I really do not want to talk about it.**

**But here we are, the chapter is ready and all I can say is that we are getting closer to the end. I can taste it so badly already. Argh!**

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><p><strong>Chapter 35<strong>

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><p>"I received a report that you've captured another werewolf," Commander Erwin stated to one of his subordinates who was in charge of the facility on the northern border.<p>

"Yes, sir. We went hunting in an area that people have rumoured having seen werewolves and we actually came across a pair. The other one managed to run away but at least we captured this one." The man was proud of himself and for a good reason.

Hanji had been working day and night with the vaccine. She had said she could create one for werewolves as well. Now they had to just capture another vampire or so to perfect the vaccine. Hanji's progress was encouraging and she had said that she would be ready to make tests as soon as they had a vampire to test it on.

The blood she had found in the lab had proven to be invaluable for her research. So far the results had shown that the vaccine would dissolve the vampire's blood. If it was used on an actual living vampire, it should destroy the monster, killing them slowly as the vaccine did its job inside their veins. Hanji assured that when tested on human blood the vaccine did nothing. She had given Erwin a lecture about what made it possible. Erwin had not been interested in why it worked as long as it did. Apparently vampires had something in their blood or body that was unique compared to humans. In Erwin's opinion that something was what made them monsters. Their blood was tainted just like the monsters themselves tainted the earth with their presence.

Erwin was pleased. Now they just needed to find a way to get rid of the werewolves as well. His dream was close to being complete. Once this world was rid of these monsters, they humanity could live in peace without fear.

* * *

><p>"Levi?" Grisha knocked on the door of Eren's room early in the morning. "There is a response letter for you."<p>

Levi untangled himself from Eren and quickly pulled on some clothes before making his way to the door. Eren had transformed during the night in his sleep. Levi on the other hand had woken up to the sudden change. He opened the door and accepted the letter that Grisha was offering. "Thank you."

The letter was from his uncle Kenny.

Some time ago he had sent a letter to Kenny. Levi had originally ask Grisha for help of sending it. The pack leader had gotten him in touch with the right person. One of Sasha's brothers, Christopher, had been his courier. Christopher was smallest but fastest of all the seven brothers and had enough courage to take on such a mission. Levi had given him clear directions where his ancestral home was.

"_Once you get there, you'll see a high fence. The guard dogs should notice you. Wait until Seamus comes and give him the letter. Tell him that it has a blood seal. He'll be able to confirm it is from me. Tell him you'll wait for a reply from my uncle."_

Christopher had been excited to go out in the world for once after the threat of humans had driven in strict policies about going in and out the village. Christopher had done such courier missions before but no one had asked in a while. Levi had told him to be cautious even more so than usual. The letter had no real hurry so if something happened on the way he advised Christopher to make sure he stayed safe instead of prioritizing it over himself.

Levi opened the response that Kenny had sent him. Levi himself had not written much in his own letter, just telling his uncle the few things that had happened after making their way safely to Eren's pack. He had told Kenny about the humans lurking about, the building of the walls and of course Eren's pregnancy. He had sent the letter before the walls had been finished and he had not even known there were expecting triplets until now.

_Dear Levi,_

_I am happy to hear that you two got there safely. I had no worries of course. Eren would have protected you if anything went wrong. But what is it that I hear? How on earth did you managed to knock him up?! Either way, I am happy for you two! A baby on they way… I cannot wait to see his/hers cute little chubby cheeks!_

_Ah, so since the humans are more threat than we thought and I do not think I should disclose any information I have gathered so far in this letter, I was thinking that I could come visit you and we could discuss everything in person. The news so far do not look good at all. I fear we have a graver matter in our hands than just a few crazy people running around._

_I am still waiting to hear from one or two of my friends about the matter with that organization. It is going to take me a few weeks to get that information. Feel free to send me a response and directions, preferably in form of a guide, to your new home. Also if you could do it after your little one has been born so I get to see him/her!_

_I will bring presents!_

_Sincerely yours,_

_Kenny _

Levi folded the letter deeming his uncle utterly insane.

* * *

><p>Eren stirred some time around noon. His hair was a mess. Levi sank his fingers into the main to untangle the knots. "Your hair is getting longer," Levi pointed out.<p>

Eren hummed and answered, "So is yours." He rubbed his eye, trying to wake up. Eren peered up at Levi who was sitting right next to him, apparently once again reading something. Eren couldn't understand where Levi found the energy to read. Reading was boring. Eren rather made things than just sat in one spot only moving his eyes.

Now that he was awake he took a better look at Levi and his hair. The vampire had not, yet, fussed about his looks. It had been quite a while since they were mated and at Levi's home. Eren had noticed that Levi hadn't fussed about being clean either. Not in the same way than he did after they had made their way to Levi's home. The vampire seemed more… relaxed. His hair was getting long and he had a scruffier look on him now. Eren was surprised to see that Levi did not grow a beard. Maybe that was a vampire thing? Eren voiced his question, "Why don't you have a stubble?"

"I don't know," the vampire answered. "I have never grown facial hair unlike my uncle. I honestly do not know the answer."

Eren was dumbfounded by it. "That is ridiculous."

"It could come with age." Levi shrugged. "It is hardly something that I worry about."

Eren was left to wonder about it on his own. What a weird creature did he have for a mate. Then he wanted to change the subject. "So how was last night for you?"

"Interesting to say the least," Levi replied, scratching Eren behind the ear. "I obviously do not fit in with the rest of the pack."

"Don't say that."

"How does that fighting even affect anything?"

"You'll see," Eren said with a grin. "For you it might not mean much but to others it will. Besides you were awesome. Did your arm heal already?"

"Yes." Levi showed the previously injured spot to Eren to back up his claim.

"Good. Now you don't need to worry for a month."

A sudden thought popped into Levi's head. "Do I need to partake in the full moon activities once the pups are born? I mean, if you cannot take part in it then do I have to?"

"No. You can choose. You have the right to stay and protect me and our pups."

"Good." Levi was happy not to have to go there alone. He wasn't sure what he'd do for the night if he had to hang around a wolf pack without Eren there.

* * *

><p>As time went on, Levi came to notice the subtle changes within the pack. The full moon had had its effect on people. Most peculiar thing was how Jean and Connie now bowed their heads to him if he happened to glare their way.<p>

Levi took advantage of this fact when he wanted them to shut the hell up when he was accompanying Eren.

Levi would linger in the shadows out of habit despite having his umbrella shielding him from the sun.

But he was by Eren's side as soon as he saw something happening that he didn't like. More than once he got told off by Eren for being over protective.

Levi just didn't like the way Eren's friends found it so easy to cling on his mate. They were touching something that was not theirs to touch and it made Levi grit his teeth alone in silence.

The weather had gotten cold enough for Levi to shiver inside his coat and boots. He needed something much warmer to wear during the winter.

It was after Eren's social call to Connie's house that Eren noticed Levi trying to stay in middle of his coat for warmth.

"Are you cold?"

"Yes. My ass is freezing. I can't feel my toes after a while."

"Oh," was all Eren remarked for a moment. "I'll ask mother if she has something for you to wear."

And so Levi ended up with a knitted oversized grey sweater, scarf and a pair of socks.

Eren said he looked adorable in this getup. But Levi didn't care. He was finally warm enough to stand around outside for a while if necessary. Though, Eren took pity on him and asked his friends if they could stay indoors from now on.

The winter was going to be a harsh one for him, wasn't it? The werewolves were accustomed to cold weather and could withstand it. Levi on the other hand… _I'm going to freeze without Eren, aren't I?_

He would need to remind his uncle to bring warm clothes with him.

Levi had not yet send a response yet.

He needed to talk to Eren about it but also with Grisha. The leader of the pack deserved to know if there was another vampire joining them for a short amount of time. Levi had a feeling he should be asking for permission to let Kenny come. He decided to trust his gut feeling and he did ask if Kenny would be allowed to come by.

He found Grisha inside his study. Levi went inside after politely knocking on the door. "I'm sorry to disturb you but I'd like to ask for permission to invite my uncle for a visit."

Levi was surprised that after a moment of hesitation Grisha said yes.

Next he found Eren who was more or less wobbling from the kitchen with a bowl full of food. Levi would have loved to comment on it but he didn't. He knew that he'd upset the hormonal beast that was now his mate. Maybe it was better not to compare Eren to a duck or that he'd soon look like a pelican with all the food he was eating.

Nah, it was not nice to tease a poor young wolf who was wobbling for a reason that Levi soon discovered.

"My hips ache," Eren told him with a groan. "Armin said it is normal and to be expected but I thought it would not be this bad."

"Food will solve it?" Levi just had to say something as Eren stuffed his face with dried meat strips.

"Yeah. I'll feel so much better after eating this all." Eren was nodding to himself. "After I'll take a nap." Grisha had given Eren time off from his training for now. Eren was now little over two months along and Armin had predicted he'd give birth once three months were full.

That was not far away.

"You do that," Levi said and continued, "I'll go check on the house." Their house was coming together nicely. Mikasa's father had estimated that they'd have to ready for them in a week or so. Levi and Eren had taken upon themselves to make a routine check on the progress every day. Most of the things that were happening now were on the inside and Levi had forbidden Eren to go in while people worked. He didn't want to put Eren under the risk of getting into an accident.

"When you get back, would you give me a massage?" Eren asked with his eyes so sincere that Levi could only nod before making sure Eren was safely in their room and then he left to his house check up trip.

Levi was so far pleased with the design of it. The house had a high ceiling. Instead of having two stories, there was a perch type of solution used to give more room. The downstairs had one bedroom with no windows towards the outside but the door had one and the wall next to it as well. That bedroom would be Levi and Eren's own.

The living room was spacious one. Eren had requested it as he hated cramped spaces and plus their pups would have room to play. Levi had not really had any opinion on it. Next to their bedroom was the bathroom. Now that was something Levi had requested. He owed a big debt to whoever made having a private cleaning space possible. The tub was something he would have to get himself though. Levi already had a plan for how to acquire one.

The kitchen was in the corner of the vast living space of the downstairs. It had a fireplace which could be used for cooking dinner as well. Levi could not wait to get into a warmer house than the one they were living in right now. Levi had a feeling there would be a few or more rows about the temperature later on. Levi would feel chilly while Eren would be cozy. Levi would have none of that.

The perch made the house interesting as there was no separate rooms for their offsprings or other guests. At the end of the perch there was the only normal looking window in the house. The window faced north so Levi did not have to worry about getting burnt if he ever wandered up there anyway.

The design of the house window wise was pretty simple. There was not windows at ground level like normally there would be. All of them were up near the ceiling. The window sills were extended and in an angle so that any direct rays of sun would not hit anywhere near the height of people walking on the ground floor. The house would have light and it would not threaten Levi's safety or if their pups would inherit his trait of under the sun burning skin then they'd be safe.

They would be using candles and lanterns to light the downstairs at evening anyway so there was no huge problem with using them also during daytime as well.

Levi was looking forward to living inside the house. He would have to thank everyone for making it possible in the first place.

After making his brief inspection of how things were coming along Levi made his way back to Eren who was done with his munching and waiting for a back rub, most probably.

* * *

><p>Then the day came where Mikasa's father was waiting for them in the morning by their house. He hold out keys in his hand. "It is finished. We even made you a few necessary furnitures while we were at it. Let me give you tour."<p>

The older werewolf lead them into the house, unlocking the door.

Eren was in awe and looked around like a curious puppy. Levi stayed behind, letting Eren soak in the interior design of their home.

_Home_.

It had such a nice ring to it.

In the kitchen lay a freshly made wooden table and benches on either side of it. Levi spotted some chairs as well.

"We took the liberty and made you two a bed. We figured you'd appreciate something else than sleeping on the floor," Mikasa's father said to Levi. "Bedding might not the best but you can replace it later."

Levi went to see what it looked and felt like. Sitting down on the edge he said, "It's great, thank you." For once he wouldn't need to crawl up from the floor in the morning.

"We made Eren a place in the corner of living room. He should be comfortable giving birth there instead of a birthing hut."

_A birthing hut?_ Levi had not even thought where Eren would give birth.

Sensing his confusion Eren whirled around and looked for his mate. "What what what?" the young wolf asked rapidly.

Mikasa's father answered him. "I was telling him about the birth corner we made for you. It will be much more comfortable giving birth at your own home than in the huts."

Eren nodded.

"Hut?" Levi asked.

Mikasa's father was quick to explain. "The huts are for people who want to give birth in private or don't have their own home yet. Some families might not have the room for giving birth."

Levi accepted the explanation even if he did not completely understand it.

"I guess we can start making ourselves at home then," Levi said after a moment of silence.

"I'll leave you two at it. If you have anything to ask or find any problems come and tell me." The older werewolf was soon gone after saying goodbye.

Eren sighed. "I'm so happy! Our own home." He looked around ecstatic.

"Did you notice the kitchen table they made us?" Levi asked.

"And the bed! Yeah!" Eren exclaimed. "I love it already. Although I'll sleep on the floor at full moon nights."

"You don't have to."

"But I prefer it as a wolf."

"Alright," Levi settled the argument by agreeing. "I guess we only have to get our stuff and we are officially moved in."

Eren answered him with a big smile and giving him a quick lick on the lips.


	37. Chapter 36

**AN:** This chapter took me a long time to write. I kept arguing with myself what would be the appropriate direction to take this to so I wrote a few pages, scrapped it all for not being good enough.

I also was on a trip which is why I missed the last weeks update totally. Was a fun and hot, physically exhausting trip to Helsinki and from there to Stockholm and back. I went to a cruise to listen to my favourite band that happened to be playing on this said cruise so.. it was fun. :)

About the story itself, it took me some time to figure out exactly how time goes in this fic or how I've meant it to flow so bear with me, hahaha. But as I have decided now finally after some long moments of reading my own fic to find all the clues, that Eren is two months along by this point, which is actually stated in the chapter haha! But that leaves us one week to the next full moon as Eren became pregnant 1 week before a full moon so… well either way. I'm not going to go into anymore detail about the full moon thingies.

I'd so like to share my thoughts further than this but I guess I should let you guys just read it!

So, here we go! Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 36<strong>

* * *

><p>"Hmmmmmm.." Eren hummed in the kitchen area with a contemplating look on his face. Levi could only guess what the young wolf was thinking about.<p>

"I like this table," the young wolf sitting on it said. That was not the intended use of it. Eren spread his bent legs wide. "I want to have sex on this."

_Oh really? _Levi could only guess why. The grin on the young wolf's face told him all he needed to know. "And why is that," he still asked.

"Because this surface feels so nice," was Eren's answer. That was when Levi remembered that Eren had no underwear. The young wolf was lounging around in just a long shirt that he liked to use when relaxing. Eren was two months along and his belly was spreading the fabric thin over his belly.

"You know the table is for eating." Not that it concerned Levi one bit but it would be better if the thing was kept clean of such unclean activities.

"Exactly!" Eren's grin got wider. "Come enjoy your meal, little vampire," Eren teased as he laid down on the hard surface in a suggestive pose.

Levi rolled his eyes when Eren couldn't see. "You won't stop until you get what you want?"

"Yup!"

"And you know what Armin said about sexual activity from now on?" Levi wondered if Eren had even listened to his friend telling him about the restriction. They had had yet another little examination done to Eren and Armin had advised them to take things slow from now on. The last month could be increasingly uncomfortable for Eren and sex could turn into a painful experience.

"Oh come on, he doesn't need to know. What harm can one time do?" Eren scoffed.

"That is exactly the type of thinking that gets you into trouble. In fact you wouldn't be pregnant to begin with if you didn't think like that."

"You are a real spoilsport," Eren whined but did not deny the accusation.

"Do you want this meal cooked or not?" Levi asked as he was the one cooking Eren some meat soup. The young wolf had asked him to do it. Levi had learned the art of cooking some basic things from Carla. He had no idea of knowing what it should taste like. To him it tasted awful no matter what he did. "Here, taste for the salt," he said offering Eren a spoon with little bit of the soup.

"Mmmmmm," the young wolf hummed pleased. "That is perfect. How can you make this so well?"

"I just follow Carla's recipe." The reason to learn cooking was for the future too not just because of Eren. He wanted to be able to provide something to eat for their children if they happened to need such sustenance. There was no harm in learning just in case. Besides Eren seemed more content when Levi provided him with food. "Is it alright to cook things like this for you while you are in wolf form as well?"

Eren grimaced. "I'd rather eat something that has no spices though. Raw meat is the best to be honest."

"Alright." Levi had a lot to learn if he wanted to be able to take care of Eren and their offsprings. He knew it was not going to be easy at all. On top of it all there was still the threat of humans looming over their heads. Levi could not forget about it even if all seemed well in their little world. Playing house was not something they could do forever.

* * *

><p>Levi prepared a letter to his uncle, asking for clothes. He did not plan on pouring his heart out on the piece of paper as it would be only a week or so until his uncle would arrive once he received the letter. Levi kept the letter in safe until he knew the time of birth. He'd send it out as soon as Eren went to delivery or was close to it.<p>

The next full moon was rapidly upon them and Levi asked gently if Eren would consider staying inside the village this time. "There is no reason for us to rush out there. Besides I do not feel comfortable riding your pregnant self. What does that look like if I make you carry me around time after time."

Eren giggled. "No one said anything. They know you cannot keep up with us. Actually they assumed we would stay home the last time too."

"So you are fine with staying here?"

"Yes," Eren nodded. "I feel kind of bloated anyways. I don't want to run anywhere unless I really need to. I can't take part in the hunting anyway."

Levi nodded at the young wolf's explanation. "Good. We'll watch the gates then."

Levi relaid the message to Grisha who in turn let the guard know they would be able to take part in the hunt.

"_Are you sure you are capable of taking care of the village alone?" _Grisha had asked.

"_Yes. We keep the gates locked until we see you returning."_

As the evening of the full moon arrived the village emptied of all others, leaving the streets eerily quiet. Levi made sure the gates were locked. Eren walked besides him as they made the rounds. Levi had to admit that he felt lonely inside the empty village even if Eren was with him. "Kind of sad isn't it? No one is around. So quiet," he spoke softly not expecting any answer from his wolf companion.

Eren nudged Levi's shoulder with his muzzle earning a light smile from the vampire.

Levi made his way up to one of the watchtowers. Eren followed him but Levi was not so sure he should have let the pregnant wolf up there. But once they were up there he was glad he had as the wind was cold and Eren's fur warm.

Winter was here. Snow had covered the ground with a thin layer. There was not much snow in the woods yet but it was only matter of time. Levi knew the winters could be harsh in Maria.

Levi thought how this would be the place he'd spend the rest of his life at. How he would eventually get to know each generation of werewolves better. He would know more than just a few. He'd know everyone's grandparents long after their passing. He'd be seeing his own children mate and have children. If nature was cruel, he'd see some of them die before he did.

He'd see Eren die. He didn't know when but he would have to come to terms with it at some point. This village could and would be theirs to lead. He had no question about it that Eren would rise to power. There was still months to come and Eren would continue his training while taking care of their little ones.

He couldn't quite wrap his mind around it yet. What would it be like? He had no experience in taking care of children at all. Part of him was scared and part of him was excited to see them grow.

Eren's breathing fogged up into the air as they waited for the others to return. It was a good thing that Eren was there because he heard the pack returning long before Levi even saw them.

Levi had fallen deep in thought and Eren nudged him back to the real world so they could go open the main gate.

* * *

><p>The last month of Eren's pregnancy meant simple things for Levi such as massaging Eren's sore back. It also meant that he was the one washing Eren instead of the Eren him. The young wolf became demanding of attention in these ways. Levi didn't find it difficult to appease his mate. He cooked him things when Eren asked and pet his hair when Eren whined for affection. He was extremely gentle when he fed off from Eren, making sure he did not excite the young wolf anymore than necessary.<p>

Together they made Eren the most perfect birthing corner in history of time. Not that Levi knew a single thing about such things but Eren seemed to have an opinion about it. As long as Eren was comfortable it was all that mattered.

Levi also took a risk with Eren.

He took Eren to hunting with him. He wanted to memorize the territory with someone who knew the place and before Eren popped he was as good guide as any other. They made their way to the woods during the day and stayed there for a long while until the sun had set. Levi knew Eren enjoyed their walks in the woods. There had been no more sightings of humans in the area so Levi was sure they'd be fine. Plus Levi warned Eren to stay in his human form at all times. He didn't want some poacher to shoot him.

Although he probably looked weirder than Eren, carrying an umbrella in the woods.

But they did not see anyone at all, ever.

* * *

><p>Then the three months were up.<p>

Levi took his well prepared letter and sought out Christopher. It was time for Kenny to come over. Levi certainly would need to company if what Armin had told him was true. Apparently Eren would stay in his wolf form for two weeks after giving birth. He would not be able to change back to human form during that time.

Levi would have to provide him with food and he had already asked Armin and Eren's friends for help. He would not be able to leave Eren's side for long and certainly he couldn't go far enough to hunt for him. He would have to rely on others in this matter. As long as he couldn't walk outside the premises of the village at least. Or as along as Eren couldn't come with him.

Eren transformed into the wolf form early in the morning. Levi hadn't slept well and now he certainly couldn't as he knew that the birth of their pups was close.

Levi went to inform Carla ja Grisha about the change as soon as he realized it was happening. Levi had assumed there would be more to prepare for the birth but Carla had assured him that Eren would know what to do and there was no need for them to interfere unless Eren needed help. Carla and Grisha were going to be present to help deliver the babies if needed.

Still the female werewolf assured him that in most cases no help was needed. After the birth Eren would not let anyone else but Levi near the pups and that was what Levi had been preparing for. He'd spend the next month providing Eren with food while the werewolf would take care of the pups. That was the plan and they'd see how things would progress. Levi's presence would be important to get the pups used to his scent.

Levi wasn't so sure about spending most of the time alone and not being able to talk to Eren. Armin had told him that Eren would keep feeding the pups for two months until they could switch to regular food. Whatever that food happened to be.

Levi had not really paid too much attention to what happened after that. He would talk about it with Eren as he wanted to take a day by day. This was all completely new to Levi. He had not witnessed any kind of birth ever in his life and now he would see more than one child coming into the world at once.

He was getting nervous but he tried to shrug it off so that Eren would not pick upon it.

The waiting of the actual birth was agonizing. The first time that Eren whimpered still seemed to come too soon. The hours had blurred into one short moment and Levi was ready to pace around the room when Eren started to circle and look for a good position himself.

The next hour was the longest hour of Levi's life or so it felt. He watched with fascination how one by one small bundles were popped out to the world, Eren ripping and licking off the protective film around the pups.

Levi did not know if he should feel happy that they were actual pups and not human like babies or not. It was a good sign, right? What on earth would these pups grow up to be?

When all of the pups had been born, four in total, Levi was allowed to approach them for the first time. Grisha and Carla left them, the latter patting Levi gently on the shoulder with a smile on her face. Grisha had confirmed them to be two boys and two girls.

Eren was still cleaning the pups. The size difference between the pups and Eren looked somewhat hilarious. Eren wasn't exactly a small werewolf but suddenly there was small bundles at his side that made him seem even more huge than he was.

The little ones whined eagerly looking for sustenance from their mother. Levi was reminded of the times he had seen dogs give birth and nurse their young.

He could handle this. _Just treat them like any puppy you have seen._

Levi noticed something odd soon after the pups had been born. Four hours later to be exact. Eren kept licking one of the pups again and again, not letting up at all.

Levi had thought the stress he was sensing from Eren was because of the birth itself but now he started to see that it was not the case.

The constant licking worried him.

Was he supposed to ask or not?

Eren had cleaned each pp with care once already. "Why are you licking it for so long?" he finally asked out loud. But Eren did not react to his words, not physically at least. His emotions on the other hand did. The despair and sorrow replaced the distress. It gripped Levi's heart like an icy claws.

Despite the uneasy feelings Levi made the move to see what was going on.

As soon as he reached out to touch the pup that Eren was licking the wolf growled at him.

"Eren," he reprimanded his mate. "Let me see." He reached out to the pup despite Eren's low growling. He cradled the small female pup in his hands and lifted her up gently.

It didn't take long for him to realize what was wrong. He pressed the pup against his cheek and ear, listening to her heartbeat that never came.

"She's dead," he stated quietly unbelieving it. All of the pups had been alive at birth. What could have gone wrong?

Eren growling grew stronger. Levi was about to tell him that he'd take the dead pup away but the way Eren looked at him, eyes filled with determination and sorrow, he let him have the pup back.

Levi's chest felt tight as he watched Eren resume his unending licking of the dead cold pup.

He couldn't find it himself to tell Eren to stop. Instead he got up and walked into the kitchen area. He needed a moment to himself.

The little one had not even drawn breath in this world. Not even once. She was gone before her life even begun.

Levi did not know how long period of time passed but eventually he walked through the living room and out of the door.

"One of them is dead," was all he said when he finally arrived at the house of Grisha and Carla.

Carla gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. She pulled Levi into a hug that the vampire returned. Eren's emotions had taken hold of him totally adding to his own pain. He felt devastated.

But he figured that he was allowed to this time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: <strong>Part of this chapter was written in April. Yeah, oops..

I know this is shorter than usual but this is what I want to post. I don't want to say any more than this.


	38. Chapter 37

**AN:** If you like Angst now is the time to join in! I Gotta say the reviews I got for this were... interesting. Over half of the people are in denial of some kind. I am sad to say but yes, she is dead. I had nor have any plans on reviving her.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 37<strong>

* * *

><p>Levi lead Grisha to see Eren. He had no other option but ask him to help him with Eren. Maybe Grisha would be able to take the dead pup away from the young wolf. Maybe Grisha would also be able to shed some light what went wrong in the first place.<p>

When they entered the silent house Levi called out softly, "Eren, your father is here." They approached the corner slowly, Levi on the lead in case Eren wasn't up to letting his own father close to the pups. Even if Grisha had been there earlier there was no guarantees that Eren would let him touch his children so soon.

Eren had moved the unmoving pup next to his head and kept nudging it with his nose. But the pup did not show any signs of life.

"Your father is here to see if he can help the pup," Levi tried a diplomatic approach. He certainly could not say that the pup was dead in front of Eren right now. The young wolf was in denial but yet the sorrow was overwhelming so Levi knew that Eren only had hard time facing the truth.

To his surprise Eren let him take the pup and hand it over to Grisha who examined her with care.

Grisha could only shake his head as he could not find any apparent reason for her demise.

Levi hesitated over what to do next. Should he forcefully remove the dead pup from Eren's presence or should they give it back to him?

Eren's eyes were shut tight, tears dowsing his fur ever so lightly.

What was the right thing to say?

"Eren, we need to take her away. It isn't healthy to keep her here with the rest of the pups," Grisha said gently to his son. He kept his tone soft and calm, trying to make Eren see the truth as gently as possible. "You need to focus on the others. We'll take care of her," he said meaning that they would bury her without Eren there to see it.

Levi moved closer to Eren, kneeling by his head. He gently maneuvered Eren's head on his lap. "Can we have her here for a moment longer?" Levi asked from Grisha surprising the older wolf.

The pack leader nodded handing the pup back to Levi.

The vampire cradled her in his hands over Eren's head, laying her on Eren's soft fur. The young wolf was yet to open his eyes, whining lowly.

Levi let him as he took a proper look at his daughter whom he needed to say goodbye to.

Grisha left them in peace but not before he said, "I'll come by later. Think of a name for her if you'd like to make a grave marker or such."

Eren sobbed at the words and Levi shushed him in empathy. "Look at her," he said quietly to Eren, holding the pup in his line of sight. "Her tiny ears have white tips." Her fur was dark brown with white lines going along her sides. "She is so beautiful. Don't you think so?" Levi asked, his voice just a whisper. "She is so light. Just like a feather. Why don't we call her Angel?"

If anything his question made Eren's heart ache even more.

"Don't cry my mate," Levi comforted the young wolf. "We still have three pups to look after. They are beautiful as well. They are eating so eagerly." The remaining pups were latched on Eren's dugs sucking happily. "I wonder if they'll eat meat like you or will they need blood," Levi wondered out loud. He petted Eren's fur to calm him.

He gently laid the pup they had lost within an arm's length out of Eren's line of sight as he distracted him to think of their children that were alive.

They had not yet decided any names for the pups so Levi could not identify them. He'd had to wait until Eren was back in his human form to discuss the name issue. Surely there was names that Eren would want their pups to have like names that ran in the family. Levi had a few ideas of what to suggest when the time came.

Right now he concentrated on observing the little ones. The two boys he could tell apart easily. One of them was black, his fur had some light gray stripes outlining his neck and legs. His face also had a detail that would become more apparent as he grew up. Right now the lines were so thin that they were hard to see.

The other boy was brown just like Eren. He on the other hand had darker brown tones mixing into his basic fur color.

And the girl, she was grey-white. Her fur didn't seem to have one major color, the two tones equally coloring her. Her ears were mostly white though, outlined with a thin streak of grey.

Nothing could be said about their eye color yet as they eyes were closed. Even if they were open they'd be blue until the pups were old enough to see. Their eyes would change color as time went by.

The pups would stay in pup form for the first two months of their lives. They would grow fast before being able to change form to a human one. Or so Armin had told them. Who knew what would happen with these ones.

* * *

><p>Next day Eren was more upbeat if Levi could say so. Levi served him food the first thing in the morning and checked on the pups who were sleeping in a one big bundle of fur right at Eren's side.<p>

Maybe the word 'big' wasn't exactly the right one to describe it.

If the pups had not been all different colors he would have not know where one begins and the next one ends.

"I think you could walk around for a bit if you'd like," Levi said quietly.

Eren took heed of his words and rouse up to his feet but as soon as any of the pups made any sort of noise he was back to tend to their hunger.

And Levi tended to Eren, making sure he had water nearby at all times. Eren wasn't really hungry but Levi made him eat something small every day. Eren didn't necessarily even need it. He had fattened himself to survive the two weeks but Levi felt better when he knew that Eren had something solid inside him each day even if it was a size of his thumb.

* * *

><p>It was a week later that Kenny finally arrived in Christopher's tow.<p>

"Levi, my little one! How are you?!" The older vampire shouted as soon as he spotted his nephew.

Levi knew it was inevitable. He gave in before he even thought of protesting the hug that he knew was coming.

Kenny hugged him tight, giving him a wet kiss on the cheek when he finally let him go. "I've missed you," Kenny said close to tears.

"Stop being so dramatic. You are embarrassing yourself," Levi told him.

"Oh live a little." Kenny slapped him on the shoulder playfully. "When do I get to meet the mini-you?"

Levi sighed. He had not told his uncle yet what had actually happened. "There is more than one," he simply said, awaiting for Kenny's reaction.

Kenny's eyes shot wide. "Really?" the vampire's voice was full of intrigue. "Now I must see them immediately."

Things had gotten peaceful within their home. The pups growing at fast rate, getting fatter each day. The little plump furballs were completely depended on Eren so Levi found himself other things to do during the days. He did research. He had asked Armin for a favor about seeing books about werewolves that would help him to understand them in depth.

"_They might be boring for you," _Armin had said when he brought Levi a few tomes of medical histories.

"_That's fine. Any information would be useful."_ Levi had answered. So far he had learned about the differences between packs and about fights between big packs throughout the times. The werewolves seemed to be just like any race on earth, having fights over territories and politics. He also learned of most basic diseases and how to cure them. He learned about their physiology a lot more than he had hoped. All of it he saw as vital information though. It never hurt to know more about the people he'd be living with. Especially now that his own children were taking after the werewolves in some way.

But right now he had his uncle to escort through the village. "Before we go see Eren and the pups, there is someone I'd like you to meet," Levi said as they were almost at Grisha's house. Levi found it odd that the pack leader had not come to meet the vampire himself. But then again, given Grisha's attitude towards Levi in the beginning it was no wonder.

Levi knocked on the front door. It was odd since just a little while ago he had lived there himself and now he was just a guest.

Carla came to open the door and she smiled politely.

"Hello Carla," Levi said politely. "I wanted to introduce my uncle, Kenny, to you."

"Oh!" Carla exclaimed. "Such a pleasure to meet you. Levi has said nothing but good things about you."

"He has?" Kenny asked surprised that Levi had even mentioned him at all.

Levi narrowed his eyes at his uncle who in return was grinning.

"It is a pleasure to meet you too, Carla, was it?" Kenny offered his hand for a shake that Carla took laughing pleasantly.

"Please come in," the female werewolf offered, leading the two vampire inside. "Grisha, honey! We have guests!" She shouted loud enough to get her mate's attention.

The pack leader soon appeared from his study, not looking as friendly as Carla.

"Grisha, may I introduce my uncle, Kenny," Levi motioned towards the older vampire who was still smiling a goofy smile.

"Hello. I'm Grisha, the leader of this pack," the werewolf gruffed.

"Kenny Ackerman, nice to meet you too. I am truly grateful for you taking in my nephew. He was driven away from our clan and there was nothing I could do about it. I'm happy to see that he has been accepted to this community." The vampire bowed to show his humble side.

Levi was glad to see the grin gone from his face. His uncle could be serious when he wanted to. Although this overly grateful bullshit was out of place for him.

Grisha gave the older vampire a inspecting look as if he was trying to figure out who the hell Kenny was. "Levi is welcome here as Eren's mate. There is nothing more to it."

Levi coughed but said nothing. _That is a blatant lie._ Or it had been in the beginning anyway. Now things were looking a bit brighter. Levi's and Grisha's relationship had improved and Levi hoped it would continue doing so.

"We are going to see Eren and the pups next. We don't want to disturb you any longer," Levi said as the conversation had died and the two older men just stared at each other with calculative looks on their faces. "Kenny needs some rest after his long journey."

"Of course," Carla injected. "We'll properly thank Christopher for making the trip as well."

"Oh that young man is such a delight to have for company!" Kenny exclaimed happily. "He kept me sane during the heavy rain that we encountered one night. He has so fresh way of looking at life. I am more than grateful for meeting him."

Levi watched as his uncle rambled on about Christopher and his excellence. Who was this man? Where had his uncle gone?

"Either way," Levi interrupted Kenny. "We need to go now. Goodbye." He grabbed hold of Kenny's arm and dragged the vampire out of the door.

"You are so sour!" Kenny protested. "That was outright rude."

Levi rolled his eyes. "And we all would have loved to listen you talk about Christopher all day long," sarcasm was thick in his tone.

Kenny gathered curious glances from the rest of the pack who had not known of his arrival. Kenny's confident stride was a sight to behold.

"Here we are. Home sweet home," Levi said as he lead his uncle to his new home.

"This is wonderful!" Kenny exclaimed as he looked at the house.

Before they entered the house, though, Levi stopped his uncle. "Don't be too loud inside. The pups could be sleeping. And do not under any circumstances approach Eren unless I am there and give you permission to. He does not let anyone but me touch the pups."

Kenny nodded. "Pups and Eren off limits, got it!" he whispered. "Oh when you say pups... do you mean actual pups?"

Kenny's question fell to deaf ears as Levi opened the door. "Kenny's here," he said out loud, knowing that Eren would hear him.

The older vampire lifted his luggage inside the door and then stepped inside himself. "Oh my," he whispered in wonder. "This is truly wonderful." He looked around the dimly lit house.

Levi walked straight to Eren, kneeling to pet him first before looking at the little furballs squealing and fighting over a dug. Levi looked at the little ones trying to topple each other over to get to the best possible position while feeding.

He heard a soft gasp from behind him and noticed he had already forgot about Kenny altogether.

"They **are** puppies!" Kenny said in hush. Then he covered his mouth with his hand and laughed silently. "He gave birth to actual puppies," the older vampire giggled.

Eren growled at Kenny in displeasure. Levi immediately threaded his fingers into his fur to calm him.

"I mean no harm, Eren, you know that," Kenny said his eyes sparkling with mirth. "They are wonderful. So cute!" he quietly squealed, trying to stay as quiet as possible.

"I should have known you would do that," Levi sounded disappointed.

"What else could they be than cute when they have such a cute mother, hmm?" Kenny winked at Eren who sighed in defeat.

Levi patted Eren's head gently understanding his frustration with Kenny.

"Can I hold them?" the older vampire asked carefully as he kneeled a feet away from Eren, not daring to go any closer as Eren was giving him a warning look.

"Can he?" Levi asked and looked at Eren.

Eren glanced at Kenny and his smiling face before nodding once.

Levi launched into an introduction over the pups and handing them one by one to Kenny who looked like he was in heaven.

"They are so precious little munchkins. Ah, you are a lucky man, Levi," Kenny said with a proud smile. "I am sure they will grow up to be just as tough as you." The vampire admired the pups for some time before he remembered something. "Oh I brought you something. I did say I'd bring presents so..." Kenny trailed off.

Levi watched him walk to the front door to retrieve a package.

"I tuned it up myself so that it can never lock and it has enough air holes for the small one to breathe easily. It is a present to your newborn child but as it turns out I was mistaken about the number of them!" the vampire smiled happily as he revealed his gift. "Isn't it wonderful?" he asked waiting for a reaction from the pair.

What Levi saw in his uncle's arms made his eyes widened ever so slightly.

If he could have predicted this he would have done so many things differently.

Eren whined and growled at the same time, rising up to glare at the vampire. He bared his teeth at Kenny surprising the older vampire completely with his reaction.

"What's wrong?" Kenny asked confused.

Levi acted fast. He grabbed the item in Kenny's hands and threw it towards the front door. "Get out!" he hissed at his uncle.

All the work he had done the past week to make Eren comfortable again.

To make Eren forget.

All of it was going down the drain.

Only because Kenny had brought a little handmade coffin as a present to their child.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:<strong> How you like my torture, hmm?


	39. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38**

* * *

><p>Levi could not take it anymore. When Kenny didn't seem to take heed of his words he rose up to take a hold of Kenny's arm. "Come with me for a moment." He guided the stunned older vampire outside the house, picking up the coffin on his way out and pushing it into Kenny's arms.<p>

Kenny looked curious as to why his nephew was so solemn. "Is something wrong? Do you not like the coffin or is it some sort of taboo around these people?" Eren's reaction had been such a surprise to him.

"No, it is great," Levi said, swallowing thickly. The coffin was indeed marvelous. So many little details engraved on the surface. His uncle had put a lot of his time into making it.

"So," Kenny started carefully. "Why did Eren react that way?"

"There were more than three. One of them died." Saying it out loud after a week should have somehow made it easier, right? Levi swallowed uncomfortably.

Kenny became silent and rigid, not saying a word for a few moments.

Levi could hear the wildlife around them, the local locust in the bushes chirping their last chirps of the year before winter would claim them. The snow had melted away but more was on its way.

Kenny stared at him eyes focused on Levi's. "Oh my god, Levi. I'm so sorry," his words poured out with regret. "You didn't tell me anything. How could I have known? Oh my god, forgive me," he pleaded as he realized just what he had done. He had presented a coffin to a werewolf who had just lost a pup. He had made a mistake. A big mistake. "I'm such an idiot. Eren hates me for an eternity for sure."

Levi shut his eyes. Eren was taking the loss of the pup really hard. Even with the distance Levi could feel that all was not as well with Eren as it outwardly seemed during the day.

The pain Eren felt gripped Levi's heart. Eren's distress was mirroring his own.

It hurt.

It fucking hurt!

Levi hissed in frustration. "Why did you think it was a good idea to bring a fucking coffin!" he shouted at Kenny and his stupidity. Levi hardly ever lost his temper this badly.

"You know me! I like coffins. I honestly thought your kid was going to be a vampire. I didn't know they'd be puppies! I only meant well. I wasn't intentionally trying to hurt you."

Levi dropped his gaze to the ground. He had managed to get a grip of his feelings once before and now the upset his mate was feeling plus his own was making him lose it. He swallowed thickly. He would not cry. Not in front of his uncle. He was a mess that he didn't want anyone else to see.

Silence hung between them but Kenny did not let that bother him as he pulled his nephew into a hug. "I know how it feels to lose someone important. Someone who is supposed to be there for a long time. I'm so sorry. If I had known that you faced this loss I would have never given the gift to Eren. I'm truly sorry for it," he apologised. "It is okay to show your feelings. This is the time to cry if any. Losing a child is hard."

_Hard?_ It was not just hard. The utter devastation of not being able to do anything about it was what truly got to them. They didn't even get a chance to fight for her life. They had no hope.

She was gone.

Just like that.

No warning.

Nothing.

That was what hurt. Levi for the first time in a long time, gripped hold of his uncle's robes and buried his face into his chest, letting the feelings pour out. He had been strong in front of Eren. He hadn't shown his sorrow or his tears to his mate. He had kept it together for Eren's sake but right now, he let his feelings loose.

Kenny patted his back fully understanding the pain his nephew went through. He let him cry as long as he needed to. When Levi's sobs died down, he said, "You need to comfort Eren. He needs you. I'll get rid of the coffin. I'll spend the day somewhere else to give Eren some space."

Levi nodded. It would be for the best if Kenny did not stay over right now. The tension would not be good for Eren. Levi had to think of Eren.

Kenny smiled down at him, drying his tears. "You are still a little kid to me," the older vampire said fondly, wiping the tears off Levi's face. "Still the same snotty little kid that caused more trouble than was even possible! Your little ones are going to be a handful, you know. You better keep up or you'll be in for a messy ride."

Levi snorted. Somehow his uncle always found a way to make him smile.

Kenny smiled at him one last time before saying, "You better get back inside. I'll go see if lovely Carla could find me a place to stay for the day."

"Ask to use Eren's old room or something," Levi croaked. "That should be good enough."

Normally he would have felt shame for letting tears fall out of his eyes but right now he felt cleansed. He felt better for letting his soul mourn properly. The mourning was far from over but the heaviness in his heart had eased somewhat.

* * *

><p>Calming Eren was easier said than done.<p>

Levi had marched back inside, bidding farewell to Kenny.

The werewolf was licking the pups and glaring at Levi the whole way it took for him to walk back. Maybe Levi would have to spend the night in their bedroom this time around. He had so far slept sitting on the floor, Eren's head on his lap. He didn't want to leave him alone. He felt the need to keep his eye on the young wolf.

Besides Eren slept more easily when he was touching Levi in some way. The young wolf didn't move around much, only when Levi urged him to.

Now Eren didn't let him touch himself or the pups at all, baring his teeth at his mate.

"I did nothing wrong," Levi stated the truth. "Kenny apologised. He simply didn't know. He is going to spend the day somewhere else."

Eren snarled an answer that Levi could not understand.

He just shook his head at the young wolf. "He regrets his actions. Forgive him, Eren."

Eren scoffed but aligned his head towards Levi, looking for affection.

Levi granted it to him, scratching him behind the ear. Despite that Eren didn't allow him any closer.

Eren was angry and hurt. Kenny had been inconsiderate. As soon as he had seen the coffin, he had remembered how cold his little girl's fur had felt under his tongue. How her cries had died down soon after birth. How unresponsive she was to anything he tried. She had seemed as if she had been asleep but her scent changed. She no longer produced the lively one, it fading away slowly.

Eren whined sadly, inclining his head further into Levi's touch.

Levi felt bad for Eren. The werewolf was taking the loss much more harder than he was. Levi scooted closer to Eren as the young wolf was now craving for more affection.

"It is alright to cry," Levi mimicked what Kenny had said to him. "You can cry as much as you want. I'll be here by your side," he whispered into Eren's fur, hugging him. He listened how Eren's breathing got ragged as the young wolf cried.

* * *

><p>The next evening there was a knock on the door.<p>

Levi went to open the door while rubbing his hands clean on a rag. He had been handling Eren's dinner, a slice of raw meat. Levi himself would have to wait for his own dinner for almost a week. He opened the door to find his uncle standing at their doorstep.

"Good evening," the older vampire greeted his nephew. "Is it safe to come inside?"

"Of course," Levi promised. Eren had calmed down and was asleep at the moment. Levi was sure he would wake up soon enough.

"I came to talk to you about my findings about that organization that has been hunting you," Kenny said as soon as he was inside. "I wish I could say that let's move on to happier topics but I have grave news," Kenny said grimly.

Levi nodded. "We can talk in the bedroom. I don't want to disturb Er-" Right then Eren woke up and Levi turned to look at him.

Eren smacked his paw on the floor as if to tell him to come over.

"I have your dinner right here," he said assuming that Eren was expecting his food.

Eren didn't touch the meat though, just kept looking at him and then Kenny.

"I think he wants to be part of the conversation, hmm?" Kenny suggested and Eren nodded eagerly.

"Ah." Levi was not sure if Eren should hear anymore bad news that were apparently on their way. "Just eat first," he urged the biggest furball he had ever known.

Kenny on the other hand was cooing from afar. "The little ones are so cute when they sleep. I envy you Eren. You get to spend all of your time next to such cuties." Kenny offered the werewolf a sincere smile. "I do apologise for my tactlessness. I hope you can forgive me." The vampire was on his knees, bowing down to the young wolf.

Levi thought it looked embarrassing and ridiculous but he let his uncle do as he wished. "When you are done groveling can we get back to business?"

"Yes of course," Kenny said as he simply sat up on the floor, crossing his legs.

Levi took a place by Eren's side and the wolf licked his hand when he tried to pet him the first time.

Kenny began his tale. "I had several informants working on getting all possible information that they could find about those humans that you told me about. It turns out that it is an actual organization founded in Sina a long time ago. First it was religious cult that devoted themselves to the worship of their goddess Sina but a few decades ago something happened which changed the nature of the small cult into a bigger more organized group.

"A man called Theodore Smith rose to power inside the cult and he made some changes that his son, Erwin, is now enforcing. The cult was no longer just a worshipper group but they started to take action to keep people safe from ungodly things like us, the vampires. They truly believe us to be the monsters that will sooner or later kill everyone or take control of the human world or some other propaganda like that." Kenny waved his hand dismissively.

"The organization has established its headquarters in the capitol, Sina. Since the change in their agenda the old cult has become an organized military group called Walls of Sina. They have a lot of influence within the capitol itself. They still to practise religion but most of that is probably just a cover up to keep people believing that their way is just. They are making people believe that vampires, werewolves, you name it, have all been brought this world by the devil itself. I could go on and on about what I heard these people say but that is besides the point right now.

"The real issues start with what they actually do. Just a few weeks before I arrived here I heard very disturbing news and that did not come from any of my informants but from the council of Elders."

These words caught Levi's attention like nothing else that Kenny had said so far.

"Trouble is brewing fast up north. A small clan of vampires lives near the northern border and they have been struck by what seems to be unheard of plague. Two out of three of the family's three sons are dead. Both of them were unmated which means they went to feed in the nearby town and within hours of their return they both died. The family is in chaos. They now have one sole heir who has two young children. They have forbidden anyone within the clan to go into the town. They do not know what the cause is but to me it sounds just like what you described to me."

"They have perfected the vaccine," Levi whispered mortified.

"Seems so," Kenny agreed grimly.

"They are vaccinating people already." Levi was not speaking to anyone in particular.

"I spoke to one of the clan members who came to us asking for help. She is an old friend of Miranda and pleaded for us to house them. They can't stay in their own home any longer if the town is plagued by something that kills vampires. What I got out from her was that there had been a lot of strange folk within the town some time before those young vampires died. I would assume that the organization is targeting an area that is not too big but have been reporting vampire activity," Kenny said. "There has been no reports from anywhere else and other clans were as oblivious to this happening as we were. I'd say they are testing if the vaccine works."

Levi nodded. _But how will they know if it does? _Levi fell deep in thought as he tried to figure out how these people would… "They must have other vampires held captive. There is no other way for them to actually perfect the vaccine. They are starting off small. Any vampire who does not return home immediately after feeding would be found dead at the scene."

"That is what I fear as well." Kenny nodded agreeing once again.

"We need to do something. We need to stop them as soon as possible. People are going to die for nothing!"

Eren growled, snatching hold of Levi's sleeve with his teeth. The stunt worked as Levi focused his attention on him. Eren did not let go though. He burned with want to say something. His ways of getting his point across were limited.

"We need to do something," Levi told him trying to free himself from Eren's clutches.

Eren grunted, still holding on. _There is nothing we can do right now_. _Why don't you see it?_ Their pups had been born a week ago. There was no way of going after some evil humans until the pups were old enough to survive on other foods than milk. That alone would take at least two months when the pups would gain an ability to change into human form.

"Let me go," Levi growled right back at Eren.

Kenny tried not to laugh at the growling pair. He hid his smile behind the back of his hand. "I have to agree with Eren on this, Levi. You cannot do anything at this point. You have other responsibilities now," Kenny said winking at the little ones sleeping soundly next to the mated couple.

Eren looked at Levi with agreeing eyes.

The vampire was defeated when Eren used his ultimate weapon of sad eyes on him. "Alright alright," he said with haste. "But you cannot stop me from making plans. We need a solid battle plan. We need to do something and when the time comes to attack we better have something that will work," with that said Levi vowed to annihilate every single one of those monsters that called themselves the members of the Walls of Sina.


	40. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39**

* * *

><p>Kenny came the next evening to help Levi. Their goal was to discuss the possible course of action to take concerning the human threat.<p>

"I thought you'd like to have all the information that I gathered so I brought everything I have on those bastards," Kenny said laying his papers down on the table. He laid out a map of Sina. "I have an informant whose brother's wife belongs to the cult. She is merely part of the religious aspect of the organization and doesn't know much about the military side but she had pretty valuable information that we could use to our advantage."

"Wait a second," Levi cut in before Kenny could continue any further. "I thought your informants would all be vampires?"

Kenny laughed. "No, no, not all. This particular woman happens to be married to a vampire, though."

"Married?" Levi had not heard of vampires marrying anyone before. Usually the vampires took their human mates away to live with their clans or somewhere else secluded enough. It was unheard of for a vampire to live among humans nevertheless in a capital of a country!

"Yes, I do not know the details but it seems that it is the way they want to perceive their relationship. They are bonded of course."

"Did his clan accept that?" Levi had hard time believing they did. Vampires tended to be conservatives when it came to mating. There was only one clan in Maria that Levi knew allowed their clan members mate whoever they wanted as long as they kept the existence of vampires a secret from the general population of humans.

"I don't know but I don't think they did. Who cares." Kenny shrugged. "They have been happy for half a century. She is over seventy years old and their kids have moved out long time ago."

Levi was still thinking about the couple. "They have kids?" Children between humans and vampires were rare. Levi remembered hearing how the vampire members in his own clan had called them a tragedy. Levi had not met one and now he was intrigued.

Kenny found it amusing how much Levi was taking interest in the matter. "Yes. They live with their father's clan apparently since they are more vampire alike than human. Does your interest have something to do with you and Eren?"

"Not really. Just curious. I thought human and vampire bonds were rare."

"They are but some people do it either way. It is not exactly a light decision to bond to someone who lives maybe up to hundred years."

"Indeed," Levi said. Human life was prolonged by their vampire mate but not by much. Most humans lived little over hundred years when bonded but it was not certain. If they stayed healthy they would surpass the one hundred year mark but otherwise it was a gamble. Humans could caught diseases that vampires would never have.

"How long do you reckon Eren has?" Kenny asked assuming that Levi was worried about Eren's lifespan.

Levi looked across the room at the sleeping werewolf. "I think he said that werewolves live around one hundred and fifty years or so. With the bond he should live at least two hundred."

"If you are lucky that is," Kenny pointed out.

"Don't remind me." Levi wanted to keep Eren safe which is why he started to contemplate if he should leave Eren behind. Killing humans was not something Eren should be doing. He remembered vividly how angry Eren had been after he had done so. Eren's disappointment was something Levi did not want to experience more than he had to. It would be better if Eren did not see the bloody battle that was sure to follow once their plans were ready.

"Alright, now that we have discussed that let's get back to work shall we?" Kenny smiled as he pointed a place on the map laid out before them. "Here is their church and here is their so called office where mister Erwin Smith apparently likes to hang out. He surely keeps up the appearance of running a religious community. At this office they deal with donations and membership stuff. So my best bet is that if you want to catch him, he'll most probably will be there."

Levi nodded. "It would be risky to barge right in though. Not with them residing in Sina and looking for vampires."

"Exactly." Kenny took out another map that he laid on top of the previous one. "That is why I had a friend of mine infiltrate the organization soon after you told me about those humans and their plans."

"You seem to have a lot of friends."

"Of course I do! Listen, kid, a vampire can never have too many friends."

Levi rolled his eyes. "Yes, Uncle," he replied sarcastically.

"So as I was saying, this friend of mine got us pretty nice information about the military aspect of this organization. She said in her correspondence with me that there is a number of smaller bases they have. They don't necessarily have one big base but the work is delegated to several other places. They have a food facility here," Kenny said pointing out to a rural area on the map just outside of small town of Tottenfield. "They grow their own foods and share it with the poor as much as they can. Such a good people they are, hmm? Then they have a research facility up north. I believe this one is the place where you and Eren were kept since as far as the rumors go they keep their prisoners there. Of course that is all hush hush but she said she heard a few officers talk about it."

"And other places?" Levi urged Kenny to go on.

"Here." Kenny pointed to a coastal city. "They have a weapon facility here in the harbor. They either get the weapons from somewhere else or manufacture them themselves. She didn't know which since asking about it was too dangerous." Kenny then moved to another spot on the map that was closest to Sina. "Here just outside of Lilibeck they have their barracks where they keep and train their forces."

Levi took in it all. "Do we know how much traffic there is between these places?"

"Ah." Kenny raised his finger. "That is an excellent question. As far as my informant knew there is a food cart once a week. The weapons are moved as needed which could be every two weeks or up to a month. Mostly they get bullets and stuff. Apparently they don't shoot that much. Their research facility is not visited often. They do make medicine and such there, though, so there is some traffic between the farm and the laboratory on top of the food cart."

"What about the capitol? Does Erwin move around or is he an office rat?"

"He spends his time in the office unless something alarming rises. Apparently he had been making rounds since you two escaped. Even my informant had seen him. He is preparing, knowing that you two know of his plans."

"So he is arming his forces to the teeth," Levi made a guess.

"So it seems." Kenny nodded.

"We can't go to an all out war with these people. We need to make our attacks precise, fast and deadly. We cannot prolong this for a long period of time." Levi looked at the map, thinking it through. "Maybe we should attack these places simultaneously? We need to take out their weapon supply and attacking the barracks would diminish their numbers greatly."

Kenny agreed. "It shouldn't be hard to gather enough people to do such attacks. Especially now that the news are getting bad."

"We are running out of time already." Levi cursed all humans to hell. "I'd leave to kill these bastards right away if…"

"I know you must feel frustrated but we are only at the beginning of this battle. We need to gather enough people to defeat this organization and we need to do it stealthy enough. The general populace needs to be as much unaware of this was possible. If the whole country goes to war who knows what will happen? We cannot have another war like the one we fought almost two hundred years ago."

Kenny had a point. Levi did not want to go back to those times. "But these people do have families," Levi pointed out in turn.

"You do remember what it was like?" Kenny asked a pointless question.

"Like yesterday," Levi said. War was never fun and the way humans had been hunting them down for decades before Levi ever took part in it was still fresh in his mind every time he thought about it. "I wish I can leave Eren out of it."

Kenny blinked. "You cannot be serious."

Levi wondered about his uncle's reaction for a moment. "Of course I am. Why would I endanger my own mate? He needs to stay with the pups. They need him more than I ever will."

"You are crazy if you think you could do that!" Kenny exclaimed in outrage.

Levi glanced at Eren, knowing the werewolf had woken up but was not yet fully conscious of what was going on.

"It is far too early for you to even try such a thing. You'll drive Eren and yourself mad if you stay separated for too long," Kenny explained hastily. "If you think I am joking then think back to what happened at that war. Don't you remember the people who lost their mates in those fights? And what about me?!" Kenny had not raised his voice in such a manner with Levi in a very long time. Kenny covered his eyes, his hand shaking ever so slightly. The death of his mate still managed to shake him to the core.

The older vampire lowered his shaking hand. "I loved her so much. I still miss her everyday," he whispered as if he was speaking only to himself. "But," his tone rose. "We had been together for long enough so her death didn't hit me as badly as it could have. I didn't end up losing my mind and you know why? Because I realized something. I realized that there will never be a day that would feel the same as the days that I spent with her." He smiled fondly at her memory, thinking back to how beautiful she had been.

"Then you walked into my room that one day. You knocked so politely being an absolutely cute little kid. I noticed I couldn't help but smile after you were gone. I know I didn't treat you well back then at that time. I know you tried to cheer me up and you did but it took me a few more days to realize that outside my door was my family, my cute little nephew who needed my protection against humans. How could I keep myself locked inside my room when war with the humans was raging on and who knew if they'd ever find you. What if something happened to you while I was not looking?"

"Okay, stop. I get it," Levi was embarrassed by the overly loving tone that had taken over Kenny's voice. On top of that he knew Eren could hear every word. But what Kenny said was true. He would be taking a huge risk leaving Eren behind. When he thought about the young wolf and how he'd be torn apart by the pain and the distance, Levi could no longer stomach the idea. Kenny was totally right. He'd only ruin everything if he acted on his own.

Kenny smiled after his long speech. "I have never regretted taking charge of your upbringing after your parents died. The war was horrible for all of us and I hope we will live in peace after this organization is taken care of."

"The humans will always have their plans. We are only buying ourselves some time before someone else comes up with this idea," Levi pointed out. "This _Erwin Smith_ must truly hate vampires," Levi uttered the man's name with utter hatred. "I despise him already without ever meeting him. He needs to die."

Kenny agreed with him wholeheartedly. "He needs to be taken out. I think the sooner the better. The organization will fall into chaos if they do not have their leader."

Levi nodded. "But how will we do it? Do we march into his office and shoot him dead?"

"He most likely has security preventing anyone from bringing weapons into the building."

"You are probably right," Levi said biting his lower lip. "And we can't walk in there without raising suspicion. Sending a werewolf would be risky too. We'd need some human to do the job but they lack the strength and speed to snap his neck." Levi fell deep in thought. "We need to lure him out. Somewhere where he will be easy prey for anyone."

"He's smart," Kenny warned him. "You said they knew exactly where to look for you when you were running."

"Yeah." Levi looked over the map. "Maybe we could get him out if we leave a survivor to tell exactly who attacked the place? If we leave a message with him? We could destroy their food supply without anyone noticing and take out their weapons facility at the same time. Those two are the two places that would buy is enough time to get ourselves attacking their research facility and the barracks."

"The barracks would have to go next. The research laboratory would have to wait. Even if they have prisoners."

"They are holding someone from this pack there if he is still alive." Levi had not forgotten Reiner. If they could they would save him.

"We cannot let emotion rule our plan of attack. The prisoners are the last thing we should worry about."

"They might kill them if they hear that we are coming." Levi wasn't so sure that the prisoners would be kept alive. The organization could try to use them as leverage.

"That is why we need stealth to make this work. I say we send a small team to the research facility whose aim is to free the prisoners, take out guards and set the place aflame."

"They need to destroy all evidence and materials they have on this vaccine of theirs."

"Yes. That team should consist both vampires and werewolves," Kenny suggested.

"Indeed, the wolves are much more faster than we are. They could easily infiltrate the place and be out of there fast enough." Plus their superior sense of smell would be invaluable when trying to find the possible prisoners. "I need to bring this issue up to the pack. We need volunteers and I do not have the authority nor do I want to force anyone to make a decision about putting their life at risk," Levi clarified. "But I am sure we will be able to assemble a team if we assume that Reiner is still alive." Levi knew his promise to safe Reiner could backfire if the werewolf was not alive anymore. They still needed to try even with those odds.

"I'd like to spend some more time with you here before I set out to wake our clan up to take action. They should know how important this has become by now," Kenny said. "Plus if we need something it would be a good time to share ideas."

Levi looked over to Eren who was cleaning the little ones, making them squeal in protest. "What we need is what we don't have. Time." As hard as it was to admit, Levi and Eren would have to wait until their pups were old enough. As far as he knew there was no one else to feed them milk. Eren had to stay here until it was no longer necessary. Levi couldn't leave his side so he was forced to stay as well. If only he could go with Kenny and gather their kin into winning a war that would mean their survival.

"I couldn't agree more. It is hard to make any decisive plans when we do not know how many people we have for this war." Kenny was afraid that they might fail if they did not manage to convince the clans to join in their cause. "The clans must unite to beat this threat but it will be hard to convince them not to go on all out killing spree."

Levi was afraid of that as well. Vampires were not known as gentle creatures when they were angry or felt threatened. "I'm sure you will be able to do it. You have to."

Kenny laughed. "Oh yes I indeed have to. What do you suggest if we get enough people to join for this?"

Levi looked over the map once again. "We need a team to go all the way to Sunham and attack their weapon's facility there." Sunham was a harbor city that covered most of the sea trade that Maria had. It was no surprise it had been chosen as a location for a factory or warehouse. "We need to confirm if they are actually building guns there or just delivering them. If possible we could arm ourselves with those guns."

Kenny nodded. "That sounds like a plan. I think a vampire squad of six to ten should be able to take care of it."

"Yeah, that should be enough. Where are you going to find such a group?"

"Oh, leave that to me, kid." Kenny waved his hand dismissively. "I have more friends than that. Consider it done once I'm gone."

Levi was relieved to hear that and said it out loud.

"Don't get emotional on me, kid."

"Stop calling me that," Levi crumbled.

Kenny laughed even harder.

"Going for the barracks will be dangerous. It is rather close to Sina and there is small towns between us and it. I'd love to go there myself." Levi pondered over if that would be the best course of action or not.

"That means taking Eren to the most dangerous place out of all of these."

"You don't think a weapons facility is more dangerous?"

"They won't have that many men there. They might have more guns but they won't be expecting an assault at all. I'd bet most of them are there just working."

"They might still be military trained. Mostly probably they are. Do not underestimate the organization," Levi warned his uncle. "You said Erwin Smith is preparing. He must know we might attach his facilities. If he doesn't assume that then he is more of an idiot than I thought."

"Of course I won't," Kenny promised. "You don't need to convince me of their deadliness."

"Good. Now the food farm is a bit of a mystery. It is much closer than any of these other places. We could hit it first just to see how many people there is guarding a place like that."

"Hmmm, I have an idea," Kenny's tone suddenly changed to an intrigued one. "What if we poison their food supply?"

The idea sounded great at first. "But aren't they giving that food to poor people too? We cannot kill completely innocent people." Levi could not imagine himself killing someone who hardly had enough to eat.

"But why does it matter? They are human too and they could turn against us eventually," Kenny said not being naïve enough to think that outsiders would be spared. "We could easily kill Erwin Smith and some pretty important people by poisoning what they are going to eat. That alone could give us time needed to get rid of the whole organization."

"Don't you think this could go wrong? What if we end up killing half of Sina because they decide to give the food to everyone else?"

"No, there is certain foods that go straight to their own stomachs. They only give out what is left and some cheap vegetables that they don't use."

Levi was amazed how Kenny knew all of this. "You surely have done your homework on this, haven't you?"

"What can I say. I'm thorough when I set my mind on finding out something." Kenny smiled pleased with himself. "I even know that Erwin did not marry the love of his life because of this battle he has going on with vampires and so on. His revenge was more important."

Levi rolled his eyes. His uncle loved to gossip so of course he knew such things. He had been a fool to think otherwise.

"I do have my limits though. I could not endanger my informants' lives. They are no use to me dead after all."

Levi understood that. "What if we send him something straight into his office? Like a cake or something? Surely he has devoted followers who worship the ground he walks on."

Kenny smiled wickedly. "I like to way you think, kid. We could bake him a surprise of a lifetime if you know what I mean."

Levi smiled back. "If he dies then we would have one worry less. The war would be good as won." If only it was going to that easy. Levi hoped that it would be.


	41. Chapter 40

**AN:** Tbh I never thought this fic would even reach 40 chapters! I was estimating maybe 20 chapters at one time hahaha! But I just want to thank people once again. For being awesome that is. For showing their support and love for this fic as I struggle through to put my thoughts in order and delivering a chapter per week. :) Thank you. I read every review even if I do not answer every single one.

Oh and btw I drew you guys a map!

Yes a map of the country Maria that these guys live with. In my tumblr, daktasinsanity, there is a post about it. So if you wanna see it, go to my blog and add this line: /post/129731585836/here-is-the-map-that-i-have-had-in-my-mind-for-a  
>Going there will give you the pleasure *cough* to see my 3-4 days art project. xD<p>

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><p><strong>Chapter 40<strong>

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><p>Levi could not believe how easily Kenny got along with people. He had walked into the house that was his former home and had found Kenny laughing with Carla like old friends. The scene had been borderline hilarious because Levi had seen Grisha glaring at the older vampire. Clearly the two did not get along. Levi was somewhat relieved that he was not the only one.<p>

But Kenny showed his social skills outside the Jaeger household as well. He spent time talking to the youngsters and adults alike. By the time of the Wednesday banquet Kenny was buddy buddy with everyone.

Levi on the other hand had not spoken to that many people since he had been taking care of Eren. He had tough job of convincing the pack that they should take part in this fight.

He was not going to hold anything back if he could get even small number of volunteers.

"I am going to the banquet," Levi said to Eren. "Are you going to be alright while I'm gone?"

Eren nodded at him and Levi patted his head gently.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Levi felt bad at leaving Eren all alone but it couldn't be helped. It was only few more days until Eren would be changing back to his human form. Levi missed talking to Eren the normal way.

He made his way to the gathering of the pack. People were already settling down for dinner but Grisha was nowhere to be seen yet. Nor was Levi's uncle. He suspected that Kenny would show up with Carla and Grisha.

Levi was greeted by several people asking about the pups and Eren. He told them that Eren was fine just as the pups were too. People were excited about them. "I'd love to see them. Newborns are the cutest things ever."

Levi just nodded as he found his seat near the end of the table where Grisha would be soon too. He felt alienated sitting there alone without Eren. The young wolf was his rock when it came to interacting with the rest of the pack.

Soon Grisha, Carla and Kenny came and the dinner could finally began. Everyone ate, drank and chatted merrily. Levi felt like a crook waiting for his time to strike fear into their hearts.

As the dinner came to a close Levi asked Grisha if he could say a few words. The pack leader looked at him surprised that he had made such a request.

"Hello, everyone," Levi greeted the pack. People smiled back at him so Levi felt encouraged to say his piece. "I know many of you have met my uncle Kenny. He came to visit me and Eren but this was not just a social call. He brought with him some bad news." Levi paused, choosing his words carefully. "The humans that had me and Eren captive have finally started their human experiments. There are reports of vampires dying after feeding on those humans that have been vaccinated against us. If the humans come to the conclusion that their vaccine is working then without a doubt they'll start countrywide vaccinations."

Levi looked at his crowd seeing how the smiles faded from the faces of many. "I am not going to sit idly by and let these humans do as they wish. Many young vampires are going to end up dead if we leave this matter be. Eventually there won't be anyone to feed on for young vampires and that alone would throw the vampire society into a chaos. Young children cannot be forcefully mated even if it would save their lives. They would be too young to understand and survive the bonding." This was what Levi feared would happen. The end of vampires was sure to come if the humans had their way. "Which is why I am going to take part in destroying the chances that these people ever produce enough vaccine. I am also asking if any of you would like to take part in this battle that will surely become a war. One of the places that we need to take down is the place where Eren and I were imprisoned."

Then he was going to deliver his best weapon to get the packs attention. "If Reiner is alive he will be there and we will be able to save him. But I cannot do it alone. I will need as much help as possible. Me and my uncle have made plans on where to strike. We would appreciate new perspectives and help on those plans. We have less than two months to perfect our plans. I would go with my uncle right now if I could but alas I cannot. Eren needs me. Our bond is too new for me to leave him and our pups too young as well. But once they are able to eat solid food I'll be leaving with Eren to take out those humans. We simply cannot let them destroy a race that is coexisting with them in peace."

Levi knew his speech was not as inspiring as it could be. "Together we will be able to defeat them and their organization. They could easily have other werewolves as their prisoners. We need to save anyone and everyone. I have a rather personal reason to do this too. Not only vengeance but my own pups could be beings that feed on blood. What will their future be or what will their children future be if there is no one to prey on? And who knows if those humans come up with a plan to eradicate werewolves next? Why else would they capture any?" With that Levi sat down ending his speech right there. He'd let the pack think about it on their own. He had over a month to spare before they would take action.

He only had Eren to convince now. But he knew that his mate would listen to him. There was no way Eren would protest if it meant saving their current and future children.

Grisha got his attention by addressing him, "Levi, would you please come see me the first thing tomorrow morning?"

From his tone Levi knew he was in trouble. "Sure," he answered wondering how badly he had stepped on Grisha's toes this time.

* * *

><p>Levi didn't tell Eren what he had said at the banquet nor that it was the reason why he was going to see Grisha. "I'm going out for a bit," he told the young wolf. He locked the door on his way out just in case. He knew that no one would try to get in if the door was locked. Well maybe Kenny might but the older vampire was asleep so early in the morning so there was no risk of him doing something that stupid.<p>

Content with the knowledge that Eren was safe until he would return, Levi made his way to see Grisha. He had thought about the ways to convince Grisha that his cause was worthy.

"Good morning," Grisha greeted him as soon as he entered the house.

"Morning," he greeted back, waiting anxiously what Grisha would have to say.

"Why did you not discuss the matter with me before you spoke about it to the pack?" Grisha lead Levi to his study.

"Because the faster they know what is going on the better." Levi was getting on the defensive side.

Grisha cocked his furry head to the side. "Are you implying I would have stalled you in some way?"

"You sure make me think that you would have with this questioning."

Grisha chuckled. "You really don't trust me, do you?"

Levi shrugged. He wouldn't say it out loud that he did indeed have some trust issues with Grisha. He wanted to keep the peace and being too honest might do more damage than good.

Grisha sighed. "Levi," he began. "Anything that concerns the pack in any way I would like to know beforehand. This doesn't mean that I would have stopped you. It means that it makes me look like I have no respect from you if you don't come to talk to me about such things first."

"What does it matter? We need to act and it killed two birds with one stone to speak to everyone at once."

"You fail to see the point. When the pack takes part in something like a war that you are suggesting we do, the pack looks up to its leader to guide them. I cannot guide them if I do not know what the issue is about."

"I apologise," Levi admitted he had been wrong. He should have spoken to Grisha. "It won't happen again."

"Good. Then you should be able to tell me everything you know because your speech will surely rise the interest of some."

Levi allowed himself to smile. "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

><p>It was after his little speech at the banquet that they had visitors. All of Eren's friends appeared at their doorstep later that day.<p>

"I know you are here to see Eren but he's very protective of the pups," Levi explained to the group waiting to be let inside.

"We are not here to see him. We came to see you too. We want to talk about the humans," Armin told him and was leading the group.

Levi felt relieved that at least these youngsters had listened to him. "Alright. Please come in and don't approach Eren."

"We know. Don't worry," Sasha said.

Levi let the group of seven into their home.

"Oh wow cool!" Connie said out loud as he saw the interior of the house for the first time.

Levi was at loss where to guide their guests. They had no seats for so many. While he was pondering the issue the group sat on the floor without a word. All of them had their gazes fixed on Levi.

"What?" the vampire asked feeling uncomfortable with the sudden attention.

"We want to help," Sasha was the one who spoke first.

Levi was ready to deny them of that right. They were all so young. "I appreciate your enthusiasm but-"

"We knew you would say that. We spoke of this with our parents and they are going to join too if the pack leader tells them to but we would like to hear it straight from you. Eren will be the alpha in the near future and you are his beta."

"You are siding with Eren rather than Grisha?" Levi had to ask. He was still new to this whole pack system.

"We are closer to Eren," Mikasa said matter-of-factly. All the others nodded.

"I don't follow," Levi commented. "Is friendship more important than your actual pack leader?"

"We grew up with Eren. We know we can trust him. If he trusts you then we trust you too," Connie pointed out. "You will eventually be leading this pack with Eren after all."

"You do realize that what I am looking people to help me with could cost you your lives. It is not a happy picnic in the meadows. We need to kill people."

Mikasa voiced her thoughts, "For what they did to Eren and Reiner the humans need to pay."

"Wanting vengeance is one thing, killing someone is another," Levi tried to reason with the youngsters.

"We hunt for living. How is killing a human any different?" Jean asked rolling his eyes.

Levi was running out of opposing ideas. "Hunting to eat is different than killing for revenge. You'll get tired of the mindless killing. You will hope you never started in the first place. There is no point to it when you reach the point of no return. All you do is leave dead people behind and for what reason?"

"Why are you so adamant on changing our minds when you asked for help in the first place?" It was Armin's turn to speak out and he had a point.

"You are still young. There is no point for any of you to die," Levi explained.

Connie answered him, "If it means that your people won't die then it is for good cause."

Next was Sasha who said, "You are part of our pack now and your family matters to us."

Levi's first thought of family was Kenny when he thought of the vampires that he was supposedly saving. Levi wanted to roll his eyes when he thought about the crazy old vampire. How old was Kenny again? "Guys, honestly I do like your enthusiasm but.."

"You said that you have a bond with Eren. He told me that he cannot be too far away from you. Does that mean you will take him with you when you leave to fight these humans?" Armin was way too smart for his own good. Or then he had a wicked memory.

Levi didn't know which.

Probably both.

"Alright, listen. I'll tell you all you want to know but I am not the one deciding who goes and who doesn't. That is up to Grisha. He is your leader." Levi saw no other option as he dodged the question.

The young wolves nodded, somewhat happy with his acceptance.

So Levi poured out all the info he saw vital for the youngsters to know. He told them of the vaccine and how it would affect the vampire world. He scared them with threat of werewolves ending up the same way. He told them of their plans so far, both humans and their own that he had made with Kenny.

Armin was listening intently and then spoke out, "Can you show us the maps?"

"Of course." Levi brought him the map pieces and explained in more detail where the bases were that they needed to cripple in order to defeat the whole organization.

"Can I suggest something?" the blonde werewolf asked. "You said you'd want to send a team of werewolves up to the north? I think that is a good idea and it should be done at the same time with the attack on their farm. You can split the team right here before they reach the farm. The team number two continues on towards the north. Once the farm has been destroyed by the team number one they should move in to wait for reinforcements that the organization might send. They could lay traps for them here on the roads that lead to either base. With the howls and speed of the werewolves you could easily defeat any groups that try to get past them."

Levi liked how Armin thought. "That sounds like a good plan."

"Yes and the team number two could come down from the north to assist. You could even send some of them to Lilibeck to help with the fight at the barracks. That battle is going to be the biggest since they have most of their military forces there," Armin continued.

"That's why I am going there myself. That battle has to be won."

"I think it would be best if we first take out the farm and send the main force past it while we attack it. If we delay moving our forces, the humans will catch on and be in full alert. The news of the destruction of their farm should take at least a day to reach them. You said that according to the information there is a food cart once a week that goes to Sina. I say we send a scout team to gather information on which day is it that the food gets distributed so we can launch an attack as soon as the food cart is gone. That will buy us possibly that full week before the humans know anything is amiss."

Levi loved how clever Armin was. The blond would be a true asset. "That would be a good time to move the main force past the farm. We could even use it as a temporary base to get everyone there safely and then move out."

"Exactly. We could even fool the locals into thinking that nothing is wrong if we observe their daily routines well enough. If they see from afar that people are still doing what their are supposed to then there is a high chance no one will notice that we just replaced the people. I highly doubt the organization would be dealing with that many locals if they are primarily feeding their own people."

Levi nodded. "That is something to consider. You should talk about this to Grisha."

Armin nodded. "I will."

* * *

><p>A few days later they held a meeting with the whole pack present. Grisha spoke to his pack agreeing to what Levi wanted them to do. He also gave them an option. No one would be forced to fight but with the unity of the pack they would be able to pull this off. Grisha asked for everyone's help. Strategic meeting were to be held a few days later and they were open for discussion and critique. Anyone with any ideas was welcome to present them.<p>

But one thing was sure.

They would go to war.


	42. Chapter 41

**AN: **This fic has been officially since last week my longest fic I have ever written and the end is nowhere to be seen(cos I wrote notes and oh boy there is a lot of material to cover). This will easily go past 150k words in a few weeks.  
>This fic also has the potential of being my most popular one too. Just a few dozen kudos' more. Which in itself is amazing. I have been completely floored with the amount this has gathered and how many people STILL read this! It's been over a year guys…<br>Which brings me to the point of saying that I will finish this properly. I mean taking this seriously enough. :P

This fic doesn't have THAT much to go plot wise but it is all those little details that make it long. And now is really crucial time for me not to fuck up! xD  
>I want to apologise already if I ever miss an update in the upcoming months. It is most probably because I didn't have time or I had to take my time writing some bit. I will however try to keep on the Saturday updates.<p>

Either way ENJOY!

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><p><strong>Chapter 41<strong>

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><p>It was Sunday morning. Levi had fallen asleep sitting up, leaning against the wall. He had been cradling Eren's head on his lap, talking to the wolf about all sorts of things until he passed out.<p>

He was fast asleep when he was awoken by something touching his face. He opened his eyes to see Eren staring back at him. Eren in his human form, touching his cheek.

"Good morning," the young wolf said and didn't wait for a reply as he captured Levi's lips with his own.

Levi kissed him back out of the joy of finally being able to talk to him after two weeks of miscommunication. The Eren he knew was back. No more silence when he needed an answer. "I'd ask you to put some clothes on but I guess that would be foolish."

"Indeed," Eren answered with a smile. He would need to be able to transform as soon as the pups needed him. "Are you hungry? You must be. It has been two weeks since you fed."

Levi had done his best not to think about feeding for the past two weeks. He was not starving, yet. One more week and he would be getting extremely hungry. He didn't need to ask for to be given blood as Eren was already offering his neck for him to snack on. Not to seem too ungrateful, Levi kissed the soft skin on Eren's neck before growing his fangs to bite him.

This time it was Levi who moaned out loud first. Eren's blood tasted so heavenly after he had been unable to get it for such a long time.

Eren shifted uncomfortable with the amount of time the feeding took. Levi was taking what he could get now so he didn't need to bother Eren every day.

Levi noted that Eren did not react the same way he did normally. Where was the lust that usually surged through the young wolf's veins as soon as Levi began feeding?

Levi retreated his fangs and licked the wounds clean, healing them. He kissed Eren on the cheek. "Thank you."

The werewolf had his arm wrapped around his head. He pulled Levi into a kiss, not settling for just a peck on the cheek. Eren treasured this moment of closeness with Levi. He had been missing being able to show his affection in a way that Levi liked as well. Licking his face in wolf form only ended up with annoyed Levi in the end. Licking his face in human form was completely different thing.

"You are not as frisky today as normally," Levi commented. "Not that I am complaining."

Eren thought about how he felt right at that moment. Feeding Levi had not made him feel aroused the way he'd expect it to. "Hmm," he hummed contemplating the answer. "I think it is the pups. My body won't be entering a heat until they are old enough to survive without my milk. There is nothing I can do about it. I don't feel the urge to mate at all."

Levi was not surprised to hear that. It made sense that nature would make sure as much as possible that Eren would stay away from such activities. But it did was a shame that Eren felt no need to sex when he would be safe from getting pregnant. Levi himself was okay with it though. It was important that Eren felt like doing it rather than having it for just because he could.

Being enveloped in Eren's arms was good enough for him right now. "We need to talk about the situation and what we are going to do."

"You had to ruin this moment, didn't you?" Eren sighed. "Can we not talk about death and destruction for one day?" He pulled away from Levi, rising to his feet and walking to the kitchen area. He wanted something to eat.

Levi was left to sit there and he didn't bother following Eren. The young wolf was obviously bored with him.

So instead he looked at the pups who were snoozing happily at that moment. They were growing at normal speed, their eyes were mostly open by now. One of the boys still had little bit to go but soon his eyes would be fully open too. The pups would soon start seeing things. That excited Levi. What would the pups think of him when they saw that he was not as furry as their mother? He doubted they would even notice.

Truth to be told Levi was little worried on what kind of reception the little ones would get within the pack. More worried he was about how the kids themselves would react when they realized they were different from the rest. Would there be any limitations on how involved they could be in the society? Would they be unable to walk under the sunlight?

He reached over to pet them one by one. He traced his clawed fingers on the patterns of their fur.

"They are starting to explore the world soon." Eren was back next to him suddenly.

"Indeed. Once they start to see properly they'll get curious."

"Could you tell everyone that tries to come over that I don't want anyone here to disturb their exploration. Once they are used to us and the house then we can introduce new people to them."

"Your wish is my command."

"Pfft." Eren smiled despite his reaction.

"I'll keep the door locked at all times."

Eren nodded pleased to hear that. "Good."

"Can we now talk about the humans?" Levi asked trying his luck one more time.

Eren sighed. "Tomorrow, please?"

"Sure." Levi was still curious about one thing. "When your friends were here, why didn't you talk to them? I know they can understand you in your wolf form so why?"

Eren sat down next to him. "I did not want to that's why. It was easier to fake being asleep or seem uninterested in the topic."

"Are you avoiding it? You can't do that, Eren. We have to do something about it eventually."

"Why? Do we really have to compromise what we have here? Why not leave it to others. Why do _we_ have to go?"

"Who else is going to? What on earth do you think will happen if we stay here while we send others to do our job?" Levi inquired thinking that Eren was just in denial.

"They can do the job just as well without us too!"

"You are not making any sense, Eren. It doesn't help to be scared of the humans when they are going to cause a fucking genocide!"

The pups stirred, starting to whine as their voices rose high enough to wake them up.

"Shit," Eren cursed. "We'll talk later." With that being said Eren transformed to run away from the conversation.

Levi let him to attend the little ones and he went to change his clothes for the day. It seemed that he would have a harder time than he thought with convincing Eren.

* * *

><p>Levi spend a lot of time conversing with Grisha, Kenny and someone from each family. In total that made seventeen people crammed into the living area of the Jaeger house. They had gathered to discuss their plans and ideas. The weather was too cold to accommodate Levi and Kenny to held the meetings outside. So far they had listened to Armin and his ideas.<p>

They made a decision that Kenny would be leaving soon with Christopher as his companion. The werewolf would then return once he knew of what the decision of the vampire clan would be. Kenny would feed him any additional information as well. Christopher would be their messenger between the pack and the vampire clan. They could coordinate their plans better this way.

"I hope that as many clans take part in this as possible. It is hard to imagine that anyone would sit idly by when the impact of the vaccine is so devastating," Levi told to the group.

"Don't worry. I'll do my best," Kenny said. "I'll be leaving next week with Christopher." Kenny had stricken a friendship with the young werewolf. "He is such a wonderful young man," Kenny addressed the father of that young werewolf patting the man on the shoulder like they had been buddies for ages.

"Thank you," Christopher's father, James, responded with a nod and a smile on his face.

"Who will we send to this farm observation mission?" Grisha asked the opinion on the matter from everyone in the room. They needed someone who would be able to stay for several weeks to observe the movements of the humans and their operations.

"What about Sasha and one of her brothers?" Levi suggested. The Blouse family had some fast runners. They'd be ideal for such mission in case they would be discovered and needed to run away.

"Sasha is too young," James immediately said. "She does have a good head on her shoulders but sending her to such a mission is something I cannot agree to."

"Besides the youngsters do not know as much as some of our older members," Grisha pointed out.

Mikasa's father, Anthony, spoke up, "I volunteer for this mission but I'd like to take one of your boys with me James if that is alright?"

"Of course. Maybe Jacob could go with you?" James suggested.

Anthony nodded. "That sounds good. He is quick on his feet and he doesn't do rash decisions."

Grisha could have not trusted anyone else than Anthony to do the mission. He was glad that he volunteered. "You have a month for this mission. Get as much information as you can," Grisha told his right hand man.

"Of course. We'll do our best," Anthony said.

"I wish you luck," Levi told the man. "But be careful. The winter does not do us any favors." Their footprints would be easy to follow in the snow.

"Oh don't worry about Anthony here," Grisha reassured the vampire. "He is more than qualified for this mission. He is no stranger to fighting."

"Don't remind me," Anthony said with gruff laughter erupting from his chest. Grisha joined him in their own private joke.

* * *

><p>"What do you think we should call her?" Eren asked, holding their little girl in his arms. He petted her fur as she sniffed around and tried to see something. "Do you want to name her after your mother or something?"<p>

"No, not really."

Eren thought it a little bit odd but let it go. "Okay what about…. hmm... "

"Naming her 'hmm' would get confusing and fast," Levi commented.

"Idiot!" Eren exclaimed laughing. "You wanna name her?"

Levi looked up from the map he had been looking at. "Brooke."

Eren looked down at the pup and touched her nose softly. "Little Brooke, hello my darling. Daddy gave you a name. You like it, hmm?"

"Stop the 'hmm'ing or she'll think it is her real name."

Eren ignored Levi's comment. "Of course you like it. You are papa's little pumpkin, aren't you?" he cooed at the little pup rising her up gently.

"Aren't you the mama?"

Eren rolled his eyes and sighed at his mate's commentation. "Your daddy is being silly, isn't he?" Eren asked Brooke who couldn't understand what he meant.

"What are we going to name the boys?" Levi asked as Eren continued to coo at the little female pup.

"I thought about that actually," the young wolf said. "I want to name one of them after my grandfather Samuel."

"Okay. What about the other one?"

"Hmmm…"

"Not again," Levi teased his mate.

"You are not being funny at all!" Eren complained.

"Okay okay, let's call him… Aki."

"Any meaning behind that?" Eren was eager to hear what meaning the name had.

"Some ancestor of mine if I remember correctly." The name was either one of his mother's grandfathers'. He couldn't remember which one though.

"Oooh!" Eren put Brooke down and picked up the boy whose fur was brown. "You shall be Samuel then my little furry bear," Eren cooed.

It was Levi's turn to roll his eyes. Eren soon named the black colored one Aki and cooed at him too.

* * *

><p>One morning there was a knock on the door and Levi made his way to see who it was. Eren was cleaning the pups while they tried to feed. The little ones protested to his loving licks as it disturbed their sucking when Eren's tongue lapped over their heads.<p>

Levi found that Eren's parents were the ones disturbing their domestic bliss that morning.

He was about to tell them to piss off but Carla interrupted him.

"Good morning!" Carla exclaimed happily, too happily.

"Eren asked me not let anyone inside," Levi told them.

"That is absurd," Grisha protested and started to push past Levi but the vampire was having none of it.

Levi grabbed hold of Grisha's arm. "This is my house and even you don't come in if I do not want you to," he growled.

Grisha looked scandalized by Levi's behaviour. Carla was there to calm the situation once again. "Come on boys don't fight. We came to see Eren and your pups. We won't be long."

"As I said-" Levi started to say but was interrupted by his mate.

"Let them in. It's fine." Eren had transformed back to his human form and was standing behind him.

Levi let go of Grisha and stepped aside.

Carla was happy to lift the mood with her happy banter. "How are the little ones, my dear Eren? Have you fed them this morning already?"

Eren hardly get a turn to say anything as his mother kept on going, "They need to get used to people's scents from early on. Have you thought of what to feed them once they can eat solids? Do you think they take after Levi at all? I want to see their human forms so badly. The sound of little steps against the floor is the best thing in the world. Have they started to walk yet?"

"Mother!" Eren cried out, steering her further into the house towards the pups. "They started to move around yesterday. They still can't see though."

"Of course they can't, dear," Carla said. "But soon!" she exclaimed happily.

Eren did not stop her from going near the pups but she did ask permission to touch them before scooping one of them into her hands.

Levi joined her, keeping an eye on the situation as Eren could be predictable sometimes with the pups. More than once Eren had selfishly taken the pups to himself as if something might hurt them at any moment.

But Levi always let him do as he pleased. He could understand Eren's reaction. He couldn't blame him for wanting to make sure everything was alright with the three.

"It is good they get used to my scent because I will be staying behind to look after the pack when you men go to war," Carla said to Levi. Carla went into more details saying that all the little children needed someone to look after them and some of the oldest members of their pack as well. It would be natural for her to stay as the beta.

"How will you be able to focus on our pups if you have everyone else to take care of as well?" Levi asked and Carla smiled at him sadly.

"It is true that they won't get as much attention from me as they would deserve but all the grandparents in this pack are more than happy to take care of them as well," she answered. "They won't be left alone at all."

Levi thought about how it would be better if Eren could stay behind as well. The pups could possibly lose both of their parents if they failed with their mission. He got a sudden thought that he needed to see through. He stood up. "I'll be right back," he said, making his way to the door where he grabbed his umbrella.

He walked through the village towards a house he had not been at for a long time. In fact he had not been there since he spoke with Reiner that one night. He knocked on the door and waited for Bertolt to come open up.

"Levi!" the werewolf sounded surprised when he found the vampire standing behind his door.

"I have a favor to ask," Levi said not beating around the bush.

"Okay," Bertolt said carefully. He let Levi inside to the house. "Girls, don't run so fast!" he reprimanded the two small werewolves running around merrily.

He lead Levi to sit down at a table. "What is it?"

Levi laid out his cards on the table straight away. "I want to ask you to be here to take care of our pups."

"What?" The werewolf was surprised by Levi's request. "But but.."

The girls were nowhere in sight but that didn't mean they weren't possibly listening.

"But how can I stay here when Reiner is kept as their prisoner!" Bertolt raised his voice a little but not too loud, not wanting to alarm his daughters.

"That is not certain at all. He could be dead," Levi said lowering his voice hoping the little girls had not picked up on their topic of conversation yet. "Think of your little girls. If something goes wrong and you get killed or we don't manage to get Reiner back it would be better if you were here. It would be better for them and for you too."

Bertolt did not look completely convinced.

"My kids are still small," Levi said deciding to try the emotional card. "They will be left by both of their parents and I would want nothing but see them be taken care of by someone I know will have the time to do so. Carla is going to be in charge of everyone else and she possibly can't keep an eye on the pups that are going to be shifting between human and wolf form. Who knows what kind of mischief they get into." Levi paused to gather all the pity he could get mustered up into his voice. "If we could we would stay here and give them all the love they need but this war needs us. We have so much to lose if these humans have their way."

Bertolt looked sorry for him. Just what Levi wanted.

"Okay," the werewolf agreed. "I'll think about it."

"Good. We would be eternally grateful if you agreed to do this." Levi knew he had won the werewolf on his side. "I'm sure Reiner will be happy to hear that you stayed to take care of your little ones as well."

The solemn look on Bertolt's face sealed the hunch. "Yeah. I'm sure he would ask the same thing that you did."

Levi could only offer a sad smile as a response.


	43. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42**

* * *

><p>"We need to prepare the food storage for the people who stay behind. Since winter is upon us and the weather could get harsh we need to do it fast."<p>

Levi drowned out the voice of Grisha as he fell into deep thought. They still had many holes in their plans. So many that it drove him crazy. He didn't need to be in this meeting at all since they were speaking about things that Levi did not take part in such as hunting.

Bertolt had sat next to him, nodding and offering him a smile as a greeting. "Uumm, Levi," the werewolf whispered about twenty minutes into the meeting. "Would it be alright if I came by with the girls one of these days?"

The calling of his name brought Levi back to reality to hear Bertolt's question. "Of course," he said back quietly. He had discussed what he had asked Bertolt with Eren. The young wolf had given his okay.

Reluctantly so.

'One of these days' turned out the be the very next day.

"This is a very good chance for the girls to learn how to treat young pups," it was Eren who said it.

Levi observed Eren's actions carefully. Even if Eren agreed with his decision to have Bertolt look after their pups it was better to be careful.

They still had not spoken properly about the human threat and what they would do. Eren was being stubborn as hell. Which was why Levi found it odd that Eren kept accepting other people come close to the pups. He expected Eren to lash out at any moment. That was because of the feeling he got from Eren. There was pain and … despair. Levi was not sure what it meant and he could only do his best to guess.

Eren kept his eyes on Bertolt and the girls as he introduced them to the pups. "This little girl right here is Brooke." He handed her over to Bertolt who handled her with expertise.

"She's a beautiful one," Bertolt complemented her.

"Just wait until she has a human form. Eren is convinced their ears will be hairless like mine," Levi joked remembering Eren's horror about his ears.

"Levi!" Eren reprimanded. "I never said I expect it to happen. I was only concerned."

Bertolt couldn't help but laugh at their antics.

* * *

><p>They were laying in the silence of the night. The pups were asleep. Eren had placed them between them, occasionally petting them softly not to disturb their sleep. "What happened to Angel?" he asked out of the blue.<p>

Levi answered, "She is buried behind the house. I can show you during daylight if you want." The grave was marked with a small stone. Levi had vowed to take his time to decorate it better once the Spring came.

"Yeah," came Eren's meek answer. He wanted to see the grave. He wanted to know where their little girl laid at rest. He wondered briefly if others would join her side in the future but he quickly dismissed the thought.

Levi's soft tone broke his thought pattern anyway. "Are you worried about these three?"

"No." Eren touched Brooke's head gently. "My father says that they are as healthy as any werewolf pups could be." There was nothing wrong with them as far as he could see. They ate and slept without any trouble.

"Then they'll be alright. No need to worry. While we are gone I'm sure they'll-"

"I don't want to go," Eren interrupted him. "I'm scared." He was scared that they would not come back. He was utterly terrified that he would never see their pups again. He was afraid to leave them alone. _What if something happens while we are gone?_

Levi reached to take Eren's hand in his. "Of course you are. I'd be surprised if you weren't. Don't worry. I'll protect you." He squeezed Eren's hand reassuringly.

"No, that's not it," Eren said embarrassed by the soft tone that Levi was using. "I'm worried about the pups."

"They will be fine. Your mother is here, Bertolt is here and other experienced people are here to make sure nothing happens to them," Levi tried to reason with him. Surely Eren would trust his own mother to take good care of them?

"But what if they are not normal? What if they knowledge is completely useless!" Eren hissed worried beyond belief that their pups would die because someone did something wrong.

"And how will yours or mine be any better? It doesn't matter if we are here or not." Levi understood Eren's worry.

"But what if they need your blood or mine? What if they can only eat blood? What if.."

"We'll find that out before we leave. We'll deal with it the best we can. Stop worrying about details that we cannot do anything about! We have much more pressing matters to figure out so that we wipe out this vaccine plan and the humans behind it." Levi squeezed Eren's hand trying to beat some sense to his thick skull. "All we can do is pray that they will be normal enough to survive without us once we leave."

Eren gave him a angry stare.

"I am not leaving you here. That is my final say." Levi was not going to have another argument over whether they should stay or go. There was nothing to argue about.

"Why do you need to play a hero?" Eren asked quietly, his ears falling flat against his head.

"I'm not a hero or trying to be one and you know it. You should also know what I am capable of and that is exactly what this war needs." Did he really need to remind Eren how they had survived this far after they met?

Eren couldn't argue with that. "I _do_ hate them for what they did to us. What they did to you." Eren thought of the permanent scars on Levi's hand that spoke of torture he could not imagine.

Levi sensed there was something Eren was not saying. "But?"

"Things changed," Eren said. "We have a family now. We are safe here," Eren liked to argue.

"But for how long?" Levi asked. "You honestly think that the humans will leave us be? There is no chance in hell that they'll do that," Levi told him sternly. "Honestly, Eren, we cannot sit by and let them have their way. So many lives depend on us to do the right thing. We are fighting for kids yet born."

Eren didn't answer him for a while but soon he squeezed back the hand that was holding his. "We are going to make it as quick as possible, right?"

"Of course," Levi promised. "We'll be back before you know it." There was no way he could promise that but he knew it was something Eren needed to hear.

Eren took a deep breath and moved his hand to touch Levi's face. "We better be or I'll kick your ass."

The vampire smiled at him. "I'm looking forward to it if you do." He kissed the palm of Eren's hand.

* * *

><p>Before Kenny would leave Levi had one conversation in mind that they both would take part in. He went to main house where he knew he would most probably find the two people he needed.<p>

Kenny probably had just gone to bed but Levi had every plan to wake him up as he did not have time to wait until the evening.

He checked first if Armin was present. He found the blond in Grisha's study. "I'd like to talk to you in a moment. I have something to ask," Levi informed the young werewolf.

"Oh, okay," Armin answered.

"I'll just get my uncle here because he needs to hear your answer." With that Levi left and marched to Eren's old room.

He found the older vampire snoring loudly in the corner of the room on Eren's old bedding. At least they had fixed the curtains better and the room was properly dark. "Oi, get up!" he commanded kicking at the lump that was his uncle.

"Ugh!" the lump groaned.

When nothing happened Levi kicked it again. "I said get up!"

"Ouch! Do you have to be so violent? I didn't taught you to be like that towards me!" Kenny cried in despair before emerging from under the covers.

"We have things to discuss before you leave with your lover boy," Levi teased his uncle not actually suggesting that Christopher was Kenny's lover.

"He is not my lover. I only sucked his blood twice or thrice."

Levi's eyebrows rose up and he couldn't help but grin. "Is that so? What does his father say to that, hmm?" Levi wondered how Kenny had explained the blood sucking to Christopher and what had the young werewolf thought about it.

"He doesn't need to know!" Kenny hissed. "Don't you dare tell him, Levi."

"I won't if you get the fuck up right now."

"So rude, my little boy," Kenny mocked sadness and pretended to wipe tears away.

"Hmph." Levi made sure that Kenny was actually getting up. "Come to the study once you are fully awake."

"Yes yes. I shall," Kenny promised yawning. "Damn I miss my coffin."

Levi shook his head as he walked out heading back to the study. "He'll be here shortly," he informed Armin. "I want to talk about the organization with you two."

Armin nodded. "Alright if I can be of any help."

"I am sure you will be."

At that moment Kenny came inside the study. "So what do you need me for?" he asked yawning widely.

"You should hear what Armin has to say," Levi said. He valued Armin's point of view and ideas. They had proved to be very good so far. "I want to hear what you think is the best course of action to take out the organization leader Erwin Smith," Levi addressed Armin this time.

Armin looked a bit surprised. "Well, depends on how he reacts."

"He is really smart," Kenny pointed out rubbing his eyes. "Just like you, Goldilocks."

Armin smiled softly embarrassed by the compliment. "Okay. So our plan was to take out the weapon facility first, right? If he suspects that it is us then he might go and check it out personally."

"And if he doesn't?" Levi asked.

"He might still go if the devastation is big enough."

Levi nodded. "We planned on poisoning him, though."

"Poisoning?" Armin asked confused as he wanted to know what they had planned.

"Yes, we'd send him something that he would feel obliged to eat or something."

Armin looked thoughtful. "If you send him a death threat like that and he doesn't eat it but discovers it was poisoned anyway he would be much more suspicious about the weapon facility going boom."

"You are right. Maybe we should send it after the weapon facility is gone. Let him direct his attention to it and managing the damage. We probably should make it look like an accident."

Kenny nodded. "I agree with you there, Levi. If he doesn't get any whiff it is us then he won't be on his toes just yet."

Armin spoke up, "He will eventually get suspicious when things start to pile up. I think our best bet is that he will head out to the barracks once he realizes that something is wrong. He could also go to the research facility or at least send a major force there. After all the vaccine could be manufactured in the research facility for all we know."

"We can't escape this without major casualties, now can we?" Levi voiced out the painful truth. "We have to make our stand somewhere. Either at the research facility or the barracks."

Armin turned to search through a bookshelf on his right. He took out a book that turned out to be an atlas. "Do we have any places where to gather our forces?"

Kenny stood up from a chair he had slumped onto as soon as he had arrived to the study. "Oh yes, there is an ancestral home of a very formidable clan right here," he said pointing out to a forest area near Lilibeck where the barracks was. "We could ask them to lend their home as a temporary base of operations."

Armin agreed with the older vampire. "We need a place to retreat to, something we can defend if needed. Plus we will have vampires and werewolves fighting. You vampires cannot go outside during daylight. It is a disadvantage but we have to work with it."

Levi looked at his uncle who stared back and said, "I'll send word to this clan as soon as I can."

"We need to prepare ourselves for defending the farm too," Armin pointed out. "Or we need to be out of there before their forces come there once we take the place down."

"I say we burn it to the ground on our way out," Levi suggested without mercy. "They won't need it."

Armin offered him a sad smile. "Indeed. I think we should lay ambushes around the main roads or at least have some sort of quick messenger system that could save lives."

"I'll leave those details to you, Armin," Levi said admitting defeat when it came to such minor details. "Do you think we can honestly lure Erwin to the barracks?"

"That is exactly why we would need eyes and ears around the area."

"Hey!" Kenny exclaimed suddenly very loudly. "I know a perfect way to relay information without the humans ever noticing a thing." The vampire looked extremely pleased with himself.

"Well go on and share this awesome plan of yours with us," Levi urged him with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"Dog whistles," Kenny said nothing else.

Armin's eyes went wide. "That is actually a brilliant idea."

"What?" Levi could not believe this. "You mean those things that only dogs hear?"

"Wolves should be able to hear them too," Kenny pointed out. "If we are lucky that is."

Armin was still astonished by the suggestion. "It should work. That would give us an advantage that the humans would not be able to beat."

Kenny looked smug. "I hope it works too."

* * *

><p>As weeks passed the pups started to wander around. At first they did not wander too far away from Eren. But as their eyesight got better they went further into the house, played together and made Levi watch his every step.<p>

That was why Levi spent most of his time sitting on the floor, his back against the wall so he would see any approaching pup. He also requested a small movable fence being built that he set up around the area near the front door. It was good enough to stop the pups from wandering close to a possible danger of getting hit by the door.

They could even escape. _That would be too much of a hassle._ Levi chuckled to himself. _Better not to even think of such things or they will one day slip out of the door._

That was when he felt something touching his leg. He looked down to see Brooke putting her little paws on his leg, looking up to him.

"What is it girl?" he asked from the pup.

She whined, looking up at him with adorable puppy eyes.

"Oh no, no, don't look at me like that," Levi warned her softly keeping his tone light. "Come on up then," he told her helping her to climb into his lap.

The pup was happy about the attention she got and settled to lie down on her father's lap. Levi kept petting her for a while as he went back to work of figuring out the details of their plans. He had spent a lot of time discussing all sorts of information with the pack. Kenny and Christopher had left weeks ago. So had Anthony and Jacob. They could only hope that those four were alright and well.

* * *

><p>Eren had been observing how Levi talked to the pups and how he treated them with utmost care. Levi had been busy with meetings and planning for weeks now and yet he found time somehow to play with the pups, talk to them, give them much needed attention.<p>

Right now the vampire was laying on the floor his eyes closed and features relaxed. Brooke was sleeping on top Levi's legs which were crossed at the ankles. Samuel was curled up next to Levi's head, the pup's head hidden from the view in the crook of the vampire's neck. Aki was laying in Levi's armpit, trapping the vampire's arm in place.

All of them were more or less snoozing. Eren had a moment all to himself for once. But he did not really appreciate it as he would have rather spent it with Levi instead. Their talks had been all about the war lately and it seemed to be all the vampire thought about. It stressed Eren but he hadn't outright said a word of it to Levi.

Eren looked around and saw that the place needed some cleaning. _Maybe tomorrow,_ he thought. His gaze returned to the little family he had now. Strange feelings blossomed inside his chest as he watched the foursome. He was happy. That was not what was strange at all but the feeling that made him realise just how much each and all of them meant to him. Especially Levi. He wanted to curled up next to the vampire and bask in his presence till the next morning.

Giving into his selfish thoughts Eren made his way over to resting vampire. Levi opened his eyes as soon as Eren was next to him.

"Hey," the young wolf said.

"Hi," the vampire answered softly, only turning his head a little to the side.

"I see you are overwhelmed," Eren joked, looking at the pups all around Levi.

"They snuck upon me and before I noticed I had been conquered."

Eren grinned. "They tend to do that." He reached over to touch Levi's cheek with his finger tips.

The vampire picked upon his emotions. "Maybe you wish to conquer me as well?" he teased the werewolf. He moved his free hand to push Eren's hand against his mouth and kiss the palm of his hand.

"Can you read minds?" Eren asked incredulously but pleased with the question. He didn't need to explain his craving for closeness anymore.

"No, but I'm an expert on reading your dirty thoughts."

"I was having none!" Eren argued softly denying of thinking any such things. Maybe he had a few but Levi didn't need to know that now. "I just wanted some attention as well," Eren admitted confirming Levi's thought.

Levi hummed acknowledging his need. "You know, the pups are asleep and probably will be for a while. If you free me from under their reign then I could give you all the attention you want," he suggested.

"Really?" Eren asked leaning in, his face close to Levi's. His ears perked on top of his head with enthusiasm radiating from him.

"Yes really." The vampire smirked at him. He tugged Eren's face down for a kiss. "We'll do anything you want."

The vampire was promising so much with so few words. Eren started to move the pups as gently as he could. He piled them up on one spot so that they found warmth from each other.

Levi sat up, capturing Eren's face between his hands. He kissed his mate leisurely, taking his time letting their lips massage against each other without any urgency. "We should take this to the bedroom, hmm?" He kissed the side of Eren's face, tracing his lips along his jawline. His hand dropped to touch Eren's mating mark, knowing it was the easiest way to getting him to agree.

Eren sighed, pulling Levi into his arms. He was more than happy to just stay like that, having Levi kiss and touch him so tenderly.

"No?" Levi whispered placing yet another kiss on the soft skin of his mate.

"Yeah," Eren finally agreed. "We wouldn't want to disturb the little ones."

"Indeed." Levi licked Eren's jaw, sucking on to the skin just below it. His fingers traced along the scar of the mating mark as he did it.

Finally he elicited the response he had been looking for, Eren shivered under his touch and gasped in pleasure. "Is my seduction working?" Levi murmured his question against Eren's skin.

"Oh yes it is," Eren laughed softly.

"In that case," Levi said as he stood up and extended his hand to Eren. "Let's go."

Eren took his hand and followed his mate.

"Just tell me what you want," Levi urged him as they stepped into the room that they had not used since the pups had been born. He turned to pull Eren into his arms and kissed those soft lips again.

"I need.." Eren trailed off not knowing how to say what he actually wanted.

"Yeees?" Levi dragged on, waiting for Eren to make up his mind.

Eren kissed him when he didn't know how to express his need for emotional closeness. His hands wound up in Levi's overgrowing hair, tugging on it to keep the vampire at bay. He didn't want Levi to gain the upper hand this time. It was better if he knew where that devilish mouth of his was. "I want to feel your skin against mine."

Levi started to undress himself but Eren stopped him.

"Let me," the young wolf said.

"You know it is a shame you are always naked," the vampire said as Eren took the lead in undressing him. He would have loved to unravel the werewolf out of some sort of outfit and kiss every inch of his skin being exposed slowly.

"Then you could spend more time naked yourself," Eren told him.

"Oh, like an exhibitionist like you, hmm?"

Eren huffed not amused. "You don't normally complain when we are alone."

"Indeed. It is fine as long as we are alone. You could wear something when others are here though," he said bringing up an old argument. They had had small petty fights about this before.

"And I'd like you to wear less. End of discussion," Eren remarked.

Levi chuckled but it soon dried out in his throat when he caught to look Eren was giving him as he pushed his shirt past his shoulders.

"You are so beautiful," Eren said trailing his fingers on Levi's pale skin, over his hard muscles. Eren found himself thinking how on earth did he keep himself in shape like this. Was it a perk of being a vampire?

"Like what you see?" Levi teased him, his tone dropping seductively low.

"Hardly," Eren scoffed not admitting that he did like Levi's appearance.

"Don't be shy," Levi teased him. "You don't get to see this that often. Do you understand now why I like to wear something?"

Eren snorted. If that was Levi's real reason for wearing clothes then the vampire was bonkers.

"How else would I seduce your hairy head if it was not for these abs."

Eren broke into a fit of laughter. "You.. seriously.." he said between laughs.

"It's so good to see you smile," Levi pointed out. He adored the smiling face of his mate. Since the sexual mood was gone Levi thought of suggesting something else. "What do you say if I get out of these clothes and we cuddle under the covers?"

Eren's eyes brightened even more at that. "Yes please!"

The couple happily snuggled under the covers completely naked. Eren had been onto something when he said he wanted some skin on skin. The young wolf was so warm and soft. Levi hummed contently cuddling up to Eren.

"You are surprisingly soft even when your abs look rock hard," Eren joked not able to say it with a straight face.

"Oh darling, I get you." Levi flexed to show off his biceps too.

Eren giggled, loving his silly mate. "I think I love you," Eren said out loud feeling comfortable enough to do so.

"You think?" Levi had to joke which made Eren grin. Levi thought of the night just before the first full moon they shared together with the pack and what Eren had said. The werewolf had seemed to avoid the subject after that and Levi had given him the right to do so. If Eren loved him then all was good. He didn't need Eren to love him to stay by his side.

The vampire touched his face, looking him in the eye before leaning in to kiss him. All in all Levi was happy that Eren was feeling like that. In that moment he let himself be truly happy. His mate was not mad with him. There was hope for them.

More than ever.

Not thinking about the future or the past he kissed the young wolf again and again. There was no one else in the world for that brief moment that he shared with Eren in the bed, limbs tangled. Where he listened to Eren softly giggle and laugh with him at the things they said. The soft kisses and touches seemingly more intimate than sex could have been between them right at that moment.


	44. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43**

* * *

><p>"They are good together, don't you think?" Carla said and all she got as an answer was a grunt from Grisha. She tried again by asking, "Are you listening to me?"<p>

She got another grunt.

She shook her head and moved into the personal space of her mate. She attacked Grisha's ear, nibbling on the tip of it before biting down harshly.

"Ouch, what the hell Carla!?" Grisha's hand rose to protect his precious ear.

"That is what you get for not paying attention to me," she reprimanded him.

"I am working!" Grisha protested.

"Not a valid excuse. You have been nose deep in those papers since this morning. I have deserved at least little of your time tonight."

Grisha sighed. "You are right. I'm sorry darling."

"You better be," she scoffed.

"What was it that you tried to talk to me about?" Grisha asked, putting his papers away.

"Eren! And his mate of course. They seem to be doing well."

"Oh yes. They seem to cope well with having pups as well."

"And you are getting along better with Levi now, hmm?" Carla inquired softly, running her fingers through Grisha's hair.

"He is okay," Grisha reluctantly admitted.

"Just okay? He is ready to fight a war he doesn't have to. I admire that in him."

"He would be a true scumbag if he turned his back on his people right now."

"He is a nice fellow and you know it," Carla reprimanded him again.

"Nice? That little-"

Carla glared at him. "Don't you dare finish that sentence."

Grisha was certainly not scared of Carla, no. He just chose not to anger her any further. "Okay, he is a decent fellow then."

Carla smiled at him. "That is more like it, honey," she even rewarded him with a kiss on the forehead. "You need to get along with Levi. He is the next beta of this pack."

"If the pack accepts him," Grisha pointed out. There was still a few months before they would decide the fate of Eren's leadership. He had taught Eren all the most important things he needed to know. Grisha planned on being there to guide Eren through his first years as a pack leader if the mother nature permitted him to do so.

"I'd say they already have. So many are ready to fight by his side. We need to do our best in beating those humans. It is truly cruel what they are doing."

Grisha patted her arm reassuringly. "Don't worry. We will give them what they deserve."

"How do you feel about fighting side by side with vampires?" Carla had to ask because she was not sure what Grisha's feelings were on the subject.

Grisha looked thoughtful and unhappy. "I have to admit that those vampires have some good ideas and they do possess the strength to fight."

"That is not what I meant."

"In order to win I have to put my personal feelings aside. I'm not happy about going out there and being in middle of vampires and their disgusting hides."

Carla almost reprimanded him again but she understood his point of view. Grisha had bad memories and a rough past with vampires. His mother had been killed by a vampire by an accident. It was an old story and a very misfortunate one. "I'm sure this time things will be different," she reassured her mate.

"I hope so. I truly do. If even one of those dirty bastards touches even a hair on any of my pack member's fur I'll make sure they regret it."

Carla could agree with the notion of keeping their pack safe.

* * *

><p>"Levi!" Eren gasped when Levi's fangs sank into his inner thigh.<p>

The vampire soon let go, quickly licked the wound and then bit him on another spot. "I love your thick thighs." He made sure the wounds were closing before he places a series of kisses on the soft skin upwards to the knee.

"I.. I can see that," Eren gasped softly. "Those bites feel amazing."

"Hmm." Levi ran his hand on the soft skin he had just kissed and bitten earlier. "So does your skin. This should be illegal."

Eren chuckled but it turned into a moan when Levi bit him again. Levi was lying on his side next to Eren, his face buried in the flesh of Eren's thigh. He was not biting him for blood but for pleasure.

So far Eren had enjoyed the things he did. Levi was not aiming for sexual release but for worshipping his mate's body with lovely little bites that made Eren feel good. He was giving him attention that the young wolf craved for.

Eren's fingers kept rubbing his scalp, careful not to add any pressure to disrupt Levi's work. Eren was enjoying himself immensely. All he could do was sigh, groan and moan under Levi's treatment. He let the vampire do as he pleased since it felt amazing.

Their little play was interrupted by whining coming out from the living area.

Eren groaned softly when Levi let him go. "I'll be back soon," he promised as he sat up and kissed Levi. "I probably need to feed them so it could take a while."

Levi watched him go. "I'll be waiting."

Eren smiled as he walked away. Levi enjoyed the view with the idea of massaging that soft ass with his hands once Eren was back. He wanted to bite those two cheeks and make the werewolf moan some more.

With those thoughts in mind he settled in to wait for Eren to get back. He let his thoughts wander and he felt utmost joy when he heard the soft sounds of Eren making his way back to bedroom.

"They were hungrier than I thought," Eren said softly. "They fell asleep for now though."

"Then come here and let me ravish you."

Eren was certainly _not_ blushing as he climbed back into the bed where his divine mate was waiting for him.

* * *

><p>Levi was cutting up pieces of meat for Eren as he felt like pampering the idiot who kept their kids alive and well.<p>

The young wolf was conversing with his parents who were visiting again. Carla had taken it upon herself to come over almost every day. She often brought Grisha with her. Grisha was completely taken by the pups. Which in itself made him easier to be around.

Levi had somehow gotten Eren to wear a light robe to cover himself. It could be the bruises Eren had on his skin, especially on his butt that made Eren agree to wear something. It might be better if Grisha did not see them. Levi found the thought amusing. He almost wanted to see the look on Grisha's face when he saw his precious little boy was covered in lovebites.

All was seemingly well until the moment of Grisha's painful howl.

Everyone turned their heads to see what was going on.

Brooke was hanging on Grisha's arm by her teeth and the older werewolf was just a moment from panicking.

"Don't move!" Eren exclaimed as he saw that Grisha was about to try and get Brooke let go of him.

Levi made his way over as well. He asked Grisha, "How does it feel?"

The older werewolf looked at him funnily. "It…" he paused to really think of what he was feeling. "..doesn't hurt. It feels rather nice if I ignore the pressure."

Eren smiled widely guessing why his father was feeling so. "Darling, would you let go of grandpa's arm? Come on, Brooke, baby," he coaxed.

But the pup held on.

Grisha gasped. "Oh my," he said.

"What?" Carla asked worried.

"I think she is sucking his blood," Levi was eager to explain as he watched the reaction on Grisha's face.

"Is this how it feels like?" the older werewolf asked as he relaxed.

"Depends on the spot. Your arm is not the best choice but you still feel some of the effects." Levi knew that Grisha didn't feel the amount of pleasure that he would if he was being bitten on a spot much more sensitive.

The little pup finally let go of him and Grisha snatched his arm away from her. His shirt was bloody and the wound bleeding.

"Do you want me to stop the bleeding? She is too young to understand what she needs to do after sucking blood." Levi offered his services.

"I'm fine, thanks." The pack leader looked at him warily.

"All it takes is just a lick," Levi pressed on.

"Honey, just let him do it," Carla coaxed her stubborn mate.

Begrudgingly Grisha offered his arm to the vampire who moved his damaged shirt sleeve off the wound.

Levi took a quick look at how cute the small bite looked like before he swept his tongue over it. The effect was immediate, the bleeding stopped and the wound healed before his eyes. "There you go."

Grisha grunted his thanks.

"Honey, you could be more polite," Carla reprimanded him quietly.

"Thank you," Grisha said out loud.

"We better make sure she doesn't bite you anymore," Eren said. He had raised the pup into his arms and looked at her licking her lips eagerly. "Did you enjoy that, darling?" Eren asked.

The little pup showed no remorse for biting her grandfather. But then again no one was scolding her. She was only trying out what came natural to her.

"Does this mean we can start offering solid food to them?" Eren asked his mother.

Carla nodded with a smile on her lips. "You should try offering some minced meat at first. Don't offer anything cooked until they are older. Raw meat is best for a growing pup." She offered to show them how much was a good amount to start with.

Levi was eager to learn just what he could feed to the pups. He did realize that learning it right now was not as important but it was something to do and take his mind of the upcoming war.

Since the pups were growing up fast and showing signs of being able to eat something else than milk, their departure was looming closer and closer.

Grisha had postponed the event until Levi and Eren were truly able to leave. A small force had been sent ahead of time to check upon the nearby villages and areas under the strict rules to stay hidden from humans.

They were due back in the morning.

* * *

><p>It was two days later that Eren suddenly grasped his arm. "Look!"<p>

Levi lifted his gaze to see a little naked boy sitting in middle of the floor.

Before Levi could ask Eren answered his unspoken question, "It's Samuel."

The boy indeed resembled Samuel given his brown hair and equally brown furry little ears on top of his head.

"Sam!" Eren called for the little boy. "Come to papa."

The boy turned his head towards them, his fist in his mouth before setting his hands stubbornly on the ground and hoisting his bum up in the air.

"Can he walk?"

"He should be able to," Eren replied, extending his arms and waited for the little boy to stand up. Werewolf pups were different from human children. They would learn to walk in both forms at the same time. They did not need to learn to do it again as a human. Of course their first steps would not be as certain as their wolf ones were at the time.

"Amazing," Levi said as he watched the boy stand up on his own and take uncertain steps towards Eren.

"Going good, Sam. Just a little bit more darling. You can do it!" Eren urged him on.

The boy waddled his way over to Eren who scooped him up to his arms. "Good boy. You are such a good boy, aren't you?" Eren littered the little boy's face with kisses and the baby giggled.

Levi allowed himself to smile even though all these little moments of joy meant that their time was running out.

Their pups had started on solid food. All except Brooke who was keen on sucking blood. She was a vampire with a wolf form. It would be up to Levi to teach her the ways of his kin.

The other pups soon followed Samuel in their games of transformation and in no time they had three little toddlers cooing at each other. Their hair color matched their fur color. Brooke had white stripes in her otherwise gray hair. Aki had black hair with gray ear tips.

Eren was beyond excited about their transformations. "Look at their eyes, Levi!" he piped enthusiastically. "Their true eye color is finally showing." All the pups had yellow eyes when they were in their wolf form. So they had to wait until they were in their human form to know what their true eye color was.

Brooke's eyes were blue like Levi's, she was taking after him a lot. Eren hoped that her personality was not the same as Levi's. There was only one Levi he could deal with.

Samuel's eyes were green like Eren's. Aki's turned out to be grey which baffled them both.

"What color are Grisha's eyes?" Levi asked.

"I don't know!" Eren cried out. He had never thought about it.

"I can't remember what colors my parents had," Levi admitted.

The little mystery was enough to entertain them for a while until there was a knock on the door.

Eren opened the door to find his father on the other side. Grisha's eyes were not grey, he noted.

"Levi," the older werewolf called out seeing the vampire through the crack of the door. "Christopher has returned."

That was enough to get Levi upon his feet faster than anything.

He rushed to the door, grabbing his cloak on his way out. The coldness of the night was enough to make him shiver as he wrapped the cloak around his shoulders.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Christopher said when he saw Levi.

"That's fine. It's important that you are finally here," Levi replied him. He, among others, had been worried that Christopher would not return in time.

"The negotiations kept going and going. The clans could not come to an understanding over minor issues." Christopher was shaking his head in disappointment.

"They let you into the meetings?" Levi asked wondering how on earth did they allow him to be there.

Christopher nodded. "Kenny said a few chosen words to them and they let me in. Your clan in particular was against me even being inside their house but the others were interested in hearing what I had to say. The Reiss family will let us use their home as a base. They have enough space for hundreds of people and they expect a lot of other clans to join them there too." That was the most important news being told.

"That's good." Levi had a feeling that things could actually work out. His own clan had a problem with him but the others did not.

"The clans were intrigued to hear that you had mated a werewolf. You should have seen your clan representative's face, Miranda was it, when I told them you and Eren have pups. She started to demand I bring you back immediately since you broke the promise you made. She wanted to know how you managed to fool her that your mate was a male. She didn't understand at first when I explained it all to her."

Levi rolled his eyes. Of course Miranda would start up some shit. Of course they spent more time gossiping than actually making progress. Levi had expected them to take at least two weeks to come to a conclusion but that it took them four was ridiculous.

"But the other clans found it more interesting than anything. They look forward to meeting you and your mate. Apparently this kind of union has not happened before." Christopher shrugged.

"Yes, some people are there to see if they should start discriminating against werewolves as well. My clan did not even see Eren as a person," Levi said. "But enough of that. Tell me everything you know."

Christopher launched into storytime mode telling Levi and Grisha all he had learned of the vampires' plans. "They are going to gather all of the possible members that they can get to fight for the cause. They said it takes a few days but they should be already gathered at the Reiss family mansion by the time we reach it. They are going to do some reconnaissance while they wait for us to arrive."

"They are actually going to wait for us?" Levi was surprised about that.

"Yes. They do not know as much about the organization as we do. Kenny told me not to reveal everything. We kept the information from reaching their ears so that we have the upper hand in commanding their forces. Your uncle is a cunning one, Levi."

"That he is indeed." Levi agreed with the young wolf. "Good job."

Christopher nodded and smiled. "It was my pleasure. When do we leave?"

This time Grisha spoke, "If possible I'd like us to depart in two days time now that you are back."

Christopher agreed looking relieved. "At least I get to rest enough. It was not an easy thing to run here as fast as I could."

"I bet it wasn't," Levi commented.

Christopher suddenly raised his hand and said, "Oh I almost forgot." The werewolf reached for a small package he had with him. "Seamus send these." He handed five dog whistles to Grisha.

"This will be a great help," the pack leader said. "They won't know what hit them."

Levi agreed. With the whistles they'd have an advantage and element of surprise along the way. They would be able to coordinate their attacks against the humans accurately while not giving away their positions.

The thought of how Eren was going to cope with the travelling distance came to Levi's mind. He would have to ask Eren to carry him quite a lot. Would the werewolf be up to the task? Levi hoped so.


	45. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44**

* * *

><p>The day of the departure was upon them.<p>

Eren was reluctant to let go of the pups. He kept kissing and licking them over and over.

It was painful to watch. Levi could feel the pain that Eren was going through. He himself did not like to leave them behind either. "Eren," he called out softly. "We need to go outside. The others are soon ready to leave." The pups had gotten used to Carla and Bertolt. They would be taken care of by people they trusted.

"They don't even know we are leaving," Eren sobbed.

It did things to Levi's heart to see Eren crying. "Eren," he called out again softer this time. He moved to where Eren was hugging Samuel to his chest. "Bertolt will be here any second. They will be fine."

"How can you just leave them like this?" Eren asked his heart wrecked by the thought of leaving his own children like this.

"Because we have to." Levi didn't use harsh tone to make it easier for Eren to let go. "Come on. I think Bertolt is here," he said and at the same time there was a knock on the door.

The others outside were gathering up and saying goodbyes to their loved ones who would be staying behind. Grandparents who were no longer able to keep up and fight were left in charge of the children. Carla would stay behind to lead the remaining ones.

"Be careful, my love," Carla told Grisha giving his cheek a tender lick. She trusted him to come back in one piece.

Some of their young wolves would be joining in this war. It was up to their parents to decide if they wanted to allow their children to take part or not. Grisha had advised them to deny anyone who was not off age to stay behind but some parents let their younger ones with them.

Such were Mikasa, Armin and Jean. They were not of age yet but their parents or grandparents let them go.

But that was not the case for Sasha.

"You are staying behind and that's final!" Sasha's father James growled at his daughter who was adamant on joining in the war.

"But dad I want to go! I can take care of myself," she argued back. She didn't want to stay. She thought she had proved that she was an excellent hunter and tracker.

"Connie!" James shouted. As soon as the young stray appeared James said, "Beat some sense into her head." James was no fool. He had noticed Connie's infatuation with his daughter. He hoped that stray could make her see sense. He marched away to make sure his sons were ready to go. He prayed Jacob was alright. They would see him again.

"Sasha, your dad is just worried about you," Connie said to the angry girl.

"He doesn't see that I am capable of taking care of myself."

"I am sure he knows that. He just wants to keep you safe. You are the youngest of the family. It is no wonder," Connie spoke softly. "Listen," he said to distract Sasha. "I'm scared to go. I know I could choose to stay here with you but I don't want to appear a coward."

"You are not a coward." Sasha smiled despite her anger at her dad.

"I want to prove that I am a worthy choice for you," Connie said blush creeping on his cheeks. "I was thinking that maybe when I get back that you and I could talk about possibly.. maybe.. you know you are going to turn twenty in a few years and I was thinking that maybe you could consider me as a mate candidate. If I come back that is…" Connie trailed off depressed that he might never see her again.

Sasha was speechless because of Connie's open confession.

"I know it is not something you should decide any time soon. I just want you to consider it okay?" Connie said quickly and dashed off somewhere before he made more of a fool of himself.

Meanwhile Levi had finally gotten Eren outside of their home. "Don't look behind," he told the young wolf who was eager to return back inside to his pups' side.

Eren's eyes were teary. The young wolf thought of the small grave behind the house. He thought of Brooke and all the pups who could be like her in the future. What they were doing was the right thing, wasn't it? It was for the future of children who drank blood just like their little girl Brooke.

Eren transformed into his wolf form. He didn't think he could speak to Levi anymore today. It was a cold winter morning that they were leaving for their quest to rid the world of the evil plan of those equally evil humans.

Levi was clad into heavy winter clothes from head to toe. He was sure he'd be freezing along the way if he didn't. He did not want to think the pups they left behind. He focused his mind on the things that needed to be done. He would soon see Erwin Smith dead. The thought made him smile. He did not even know what the man looked like but he surely had to look evil to come up with such a plan to begin with.

"Everyone, get ready! We are leaving in five minutes!" Grisha's voice boomed over the crowd.

Levi was never ready for seeing so many naked people at once. And he was going to war with these nudists too. This could only get better, right? He should have requested clothes to be provided at their destination.

In total thirty of them departed from the village. The way was long and cold. They would travel on the roads only when it was safe and isolated. The less the people noticed them the better.

They had decided to travel north of Shiganshina. That would give them more isolated route and less chance to run into any humans. For Levi it meant more time spent in the cold winter air. _It is going to be fine_, he told himself. At least he had Eren to warm him up during the nights. Eren and almost thirty other werewolves eager to share their body heat.

That was how they spent the first two days travelling towards the farm where they would meet Anthony and Jacob since they left the village over a month ago.

Their plan was to rest a day at the farm then the group would split. One going up to the north to rescue and destroy the research facility and the other one would travel east towards the barracks. The farm would be burnt on their way out. They would position people along the way to keep an eye on people coming and going.

It all sounded so simple that Levi was afraid that something could go wrong.

It was the third day of travelling that they finally arrived to their designated location. They located Jacob rather quickly. The young wolf had been doing rounds to see when they would arrive and they heard his lone howl in the darkness of the night.

Levi was completely out of the loop when the wolves conversed but it did not bother him. He was sure he would get someone to tell him any of the important bits when he needed to know them.

"It's glad to see you two," Grisha greeted Anthony and Jacob who had been keeping an eye on the farm for weeks.

"It is good you are here. The next food delivery is leaving tomorrow. Your timing couldn't have been better," Anthony told his leader. "They don't have any other traffic coming in than that. They won't know something is off until they come here next week."

"Hah, they'll now sooner than that when we burn the place down as we leave." Grisha growled enjoying the thought of destroying something belonging to vile people.

"I know a place where we can stay until tomorrow," Jacob told them and guided them to the root of a small hill. "This should shield us from view and from any wind coming our way."

"You two did not have any problems at all?" Grisha asked.

"No," Anthony answered. "We managed to stay hidden. We didn't need to go anywhere near the humans. They speak with loud voices," Anthony barked a laugh.

The pack settled in for the night at the location that Jacob had chosen for them. Levi and Eren curled up together while the whole pack packed themselves next to each other for warmth. Levi had to admit after spending a few times like this that it was not as unpleasant as he first thought. The wolves were a bit smelly but the warmth they provided was more than welcome.

In the morning Grisha went to observe the delivery with Levi in tow. They stayed hidden and Levi had to admit that he didn't see or hear as well as his companions but that didn't bother him that much. He used his time to check out the place as much as he could in the daylight. They would commence and attack once the day was turning to evening.

There was only one person driving a horse carriage that was loaded with food supplies. The organization certainly did not think much of safety of their food supplier. The people were probably lulled into a false sense of security when nothing major never happened.

The food supplier was not their target though. As far Levi could see there was only a few humans at the farm at all. He had not yet asked Anthony how many he had seen there. But some what he could figure out there was probably less than ten. So far he had only seen one dressed in similar outfit than the guards he had the pleasure of meeting when he was captured.

The place should be a piece of cake to take over.

They waited an hour after the horse carriage was gone. The humans had returned inside and there was light shining from the windows with only minor movement to be seen.

Levi wanted to contribute to the attack but the wolves seemed to have everything figured out and under control as they made their way towards the farm in small parties. Levi followed one of them with Eren. They made their way as close to the main house as possible without being seen. They made sure that none of the windows of the main house would have visibility to the direction they were advancing from.

Other team was heading toward the barn and other buildings to make sure there was no one there.

There was almost no sound as the wolves snuck closer and closer.

Levi was going for a backdoor with four other werewolves besides Eren. Levi was the one with the job of opening the door. He was not surprised to see it unlocked as he opened it slowly and as quietly as he could. The backdoor lead to a storage looking room. There was old furniture in there and other trash like that. Nothing valuable. He motioned for the wolves to get inside as he had made sure that the room was empty otherwise.

He proceeded on sneaking towards the doorway that lead out of the room further into the house. The wolves soft paws made very little noise on the wooden floor.

The door to the room was closed. The back door was left ajar after the last wolf to come through.

Levi knew that they had a critical job in taking over the place from this side and cause confusion.

"We need to be fast," the vampire whispered. "If you see a gun, hide as fast as possible."

Then he opened the door leading to the main part of the house. That was not going as well as he thought. The door creaked loudly.

"Fuck," he breathed softly knowing that someone heard that. _Here goes nothing,_ he thought as he opened the door fully.

He was right. Someone heard it and came to check on it.

"Didn't I tell you thousand times, Charlie, not to open the damn door!" and old man shouted before he saw the vampire standing there. Levi wasted no time on attacking him. His hand flew up to his throat. He applied enough pressure to choke the poor man where he stood. He let the body fall on the ground. Wolves snuck behind him as they made their way through a small corridor beyond the door.

They came apparently to the entrance hall of the house. Levi wasted no time opening the front door to the wolves that were waiting outside for them to do so. Soon the house had ten wolves searching through it. Levi heard screams as the wolves made their way through the building.

Levi wouldn't have wanted to be the one receiving the wrath of an angry werewolf. He knew what a growling, truly angry werewolf looked like and he did not want to see one again.

* * *

><p>Jean had just killed a man who had been trying to load his gun in panic. Jean had not given him the chance to do so of course. He was making his way towards the kitchen. He heard noises in there. Someone's loud breathing was making enough noise for him to easily find them.<p>

He rounded the corner careful since his encounter with a gun.

What he saw had him pause. Holding on to the kitchen counter was a woman. She was clutching a knife in her other hand and it was pointed at Jean. Her knife had was shaking badly. She was utterly terrified.

It was not that what made Jean pause but the fact that the woman was heavily pregnant.

Jean calmed his own beating heart and sat down on the floor, trying to make it clear that he was not going to attack her. He did not look her in the eyes either. When the woman did not seem to relax at all Jean saw no other choice than transform.

She shrieked when suddenly in front of her stood a young and very naked man with wolf ears on top of his head.

"Lady, calm down. I'm not going to harm you," Jean told the woman. He couldn't harm someone who was pregnant. It was the absolute rule of the pack and he couldn't break it for the sake of killing a human either.

"What the hell are you!" she hissed scared. The knife in her hand shook. Her eyes were filled with tears.

"I'm a werewolf, miss. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. Calm down and put the knife down," Jean tried to calm the woman who was clearly freaked out by his appearance. "You are pregnant and I cannot hurt someone like that."

The woman's hold of the knife faltered a little.

"Listen to the wolf, woman," Levi said suddenly from Jean's side. "You will not be harmed if you put the knife away and cooperate with us."

Jean nodded at the woman. "Listen to the bloodsucker here. He knows his stuff."

"And you could find something to wear. You are scaring the woman with your small dick," Levi couldn't help but say.

"Leave my dick out of this!" Jean protested. "Besides rested size says nothing about real dick size."

Levi raised his eyebrow smirking. "Well I hope I will never know then." He returned his attention to the lady. "This idiot here will keep you company for a while. But do put the knife away."

The woman was completely baffled by their exchange and seemed to have forgotten to hold the knife up. Levi walked up to her and easily took the knife away from her. "Sit down and keep yourself calm. Stress is not good for the baby," Levi said.

The woman in mild shock did as instructed.

"Keep an eye on her and keep her calm," Levi told Jean. "I'll go check on the others." With that the vampire was gone again.

Silence fell between him and the woman. Jean didn't know what to do with her. Should he turn into his wolf form? Would that keep her calm?

"Eerrrm," Jean began. "What's your name?" he asked to alleviate the tension.

"Amelie," she answered her voice still shaking.

"Amelie. Everything is going to fine," as soon as he said that there was a scream coming from outside. "Yeah. Sorry about that. Must be horrible for you but there is nothing we can do."

"Why are you here?" she asked fear coloring her voice.

"Oh, I can't tell you that." Jean was not stupid enough to blab their whole plan to someone he just met. A human to the boot! "But don't worry. We'll guarantee your safety." Jean wondered if she realized that she was indeed alive only because of her baby. Perhaps the information had not sunk in yet. "You should give your baby all the love you can. They are the one who saved your life today."

The woman sobbed, rubbing her stomach gently. "I didn't want this baby," she whispered. "Now I'm so glad. So glad," she sobbed and left Jean wonder if she had lost her marbles.


	46. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45**

* * *

><p>Erwin sighed for what felt like hundredth time that day. He had received news a few hours ago that the weapon's facility in Sunham had gone up in flames some time during last night. The firefighting crews had done their best to get the situation under control but as it were some other buildings nearby had taken damage as well. It had been close to a total disaster. The whole city could have burnt to the ground if they had not been lucky with rain and wind blowing the right way.<p>

They did not have any idea what had caused the fire yet. Several people working there had presumably died. They did not know how many until they could exam the bodies and start finding the clues as to what had happened in the first place. They were waiting for the place to cool down enough to allow the investigators to go inside.

The loss of the facility was not catastrophic but it meant a loss of large sum of money. They would need to start buying weapons from other sources. Making them had been much cheaper.

"Commander!" his cheerful secretary came into his office. "A very nice lady brought this for you," she said laying down an apple pie on his desk.

"Give it to the staff," he said. He was not hungry at all.

"Are you sure? This look absolutely delicious."

"Yes, take it away. I'm sure the staff will be happier to eat it than me. I have work to do."

His secretary nodded and took the pie away with a pleased smile. She was probably looking forward to having a bite herself during her break.

It was few hours later that things started to go wrong in the office as well. His secretary bursted into his office suddenly looking horrified. "Sir, Peter is dead."

"What?" he asked as the notion that someone was suddenly dead in the workplace seemed odd.

"He collapsed fifteen minutes ago and he is not breathing!" she was panicking.

Erwin rose to his feet and rushed to the scene. One of his oldest members of staff was lying on the floor stone cold dead. Nothing seemed out of ordinary. Maybe he had a heart attack?

But Peter was not the only one. Soon another member of his staff collapsed and died just as suddenly. There was nothing they could do. Their tries to revive him didn't work.

In total five people died. They had called a doctor who witnessed the last two deaths.

"This cannot be anything but murder," the doctor said. "It is not normal that people die so suddenly in close proximity of each other without some sort of outside source."

Erwin's mind was going over any of the possible causes that could be the reason for this. What possibly could be the connecting thread between all of them. No one else was seemingly sick so it could not be in the air. They had been here all day. They all should be dead if it was an airborne poison gas for example.

_Poison_.

That seemed to be the only possible cause.

He whirled around to look around for the pie that had come earlier. "Did they all eat the pie?" he asked from his secretary.

"I..I think so, why?" she asked still shocked to see so many of her friends from work keel over.

"Where is it?" Erwin asked as the pie had gone missing.

"They ate it all.." She answered only finding the wrapper where the pie had been brought in.

Erwin checked it to see if there was any clues as to where it came from. There was only crumbles of the crust left. He gathered them up and planned on sending them to Hanji for closer analysis. If the pie had been poisoned then the crumbs could tell them all they needed to know.

All sorts of unfortunate things were happening. First the weapon's facility, now the poisoning case.

The pie had been meant for him hadn't it? "Shirley?" he called out for his secretary just when he was about to close the door to his office. "Who brought the pie?"

The woman answered after thinking for a while. "Some woman. She wanted to thank you for the things you have done for the church."

"What did she look like?"

Shirley tried to remember. "She was wearing a scarf around her head. She was around thirty I think. I am not sure. I didn't pay attention to her that much."

That didn't help much.

Erwin vowed to get to the bottom of this. He would find out who that pie maker was and they would pay for this crime.

* * *

><p>A few hours after their arrival the werewolves were done with cleaning the house from bodies and blood. They had taken the dead to the barn outside. They would burn them with rest of the buildings when they left early in the next morning before sunrise.<p>

They were settling in the living room of the house, keeping the fireplace lit. "Taking this place was almost too easy," Grisha said thinking that there could be something they had overlooked.

"They were not waiting for us that's for sure," Armin said.

"That should not be a surprise to anyone. I think we should ask details from the woman that was left alive," Anthony suggested.

"Indeed," Grisha agreed. They would need more information about this organization. The more the better.

The woman named Amelie was confused as to what they even wanted to know. She did not belong the organization. "I only work here!" she exclaimed hastily terrified that they would do something to her despite the promises that she would be safe.

"That is unfortunate." Grisha was not pleased that she couldn't really tell them much. Only that the farm was run by the organization and that it had almost no contact with it outside the food deliveries.

"What are you going to do from now on? Are you going to leave me here alone?" Amelie asked scared to be left alone in the farm with all her colleagues dead. What would she say when they'd come to check what was going on? Wouldn't they blame her for murdering everyone? She was scared to say the least indeed.

Grisha looked at her and saw her fear as clearly as he could smell it. "You need to leave here. We will burn this place down when we leave. Surely you have somewhere to go."

"But... " Amelie panicked. "The closest relatives I have are in Sina! Am I supposed to go there on my own in this condition?!"

Grisha sighed knowing that they could not exactly abandon her. "Can you use any of the horses you have in the stables?" They had checked everywhere for any humans and had discovered a few horses and some chickens in the stables.

Amelie calmed down a little. "Yes. I think so."

"Good. Then you will take one and ride it to Sina. We'll provide you with an escort for better part of the journey. We cannot take you all the way." Grisha considered the matter settled.

Amelie looked relieved.

Grisha decided to reassure her. "We wouldn't be able to leave you here anyway. We'll take you as close to Sina as possible."

Amelie finally smiled a little. "Thank you."

The werewolves spend better part of the day cleaning up the mess they had made when taking over the farm. In the barn where they had piled the bodies of the dead they found a weapon stash as well. Levi chose to take a small handgun and a rifle from it. He could use them in case he couldn't sneak upon the enemy. The werewolves couldn't really carry any guns with them so he was left to pick whatever he wanted. Grisha showed almost no interest in the guns which worried the vampire.

"You know that the humans have much more than this in their possession. They won't hesitate to shoot you." Levi wasn't sure if Grisha was ignorant of this fact or not.

The pack leader shook his head. "I know. But when it comes to hunting we know more than those humans do. They do not know what they are up against when facing a pack of wolves."

Levi almost agreed with that.

"I hate to admit this but having vampires on our side I cannot see us losing this war," Grisha said.

Levi was not so optimistic. It was not healthy to be over optimistic! Once he had been so sure of himself and his superiority but look what had happened. He had been captured and almost killed by the so called weak humans.

He made his way to one of the rooms that he had asked to have for himself. Rest of the party was gathered up in the room with a big fire place. The wolves were warming the house up and getting sleep when they could.

Levi wanted a moment of peace and quiet to gather his thoughts. He rose the stairs to the upstairs and found Eren fluffing out the pillows on the bed. He almost asked what he was doing there but that would have been pointless. Of course Eren was here. Where else would he be?

"Are you feeling alright?" Levi asked him as he took of his gloves and put the guns he had chosen on a small desk near the bed.

The werewolf paused his pillow mangling and hesitantly chose his words. "We are already here so there is no point crying about it."

Levi hummed shedding off the layer of winter clothing, his cloak and coat.

Eren had been quiet for the past few days keeping himself in the wolf form until they took over the farm. Levi didn't need to be a smart person to know that Eren was not happy with the situation. Levi made his way to him, taking the pillow from his hands and putting it aside. He grabbed a hold of the back of Eren's head, pulling his face against his chest. "Cry if you have to. No one's going to say a thing." He rubbed Eren's back soothingly.

But the young wolf did not cry to his surprise.

"I'm so happy that at least you are here," Eren whispered pressing his cheek against Levi's chest and hugging him tight.

"I won't leave you alone. You know that," Levi replied with a soft tone. If Eren needed reassuring then he would give him just that.

Eren swallowed hard. "I know."

Levi petted his hair with even and calming strokes.

Eren let go of him some time later saying he was fine even though he wiped the corners of his eyes quickly.

"Will you stay with me?" Levi asked as he got ready to have a bit of a rest on the bed. He flopped down on the pillows fluffed by Eren.

Eren didn't give him an answer. He snuggled up to Levi's side, closing his eyes.

Levi wrapped his arm over Eren's shoulder and closed his own eyes as well. They would leave early in the morning so he should get as much rest as he could. Levi soon heard soft snores come from Eren. The young wolf had been more exhausted than what he showed on the outside. Levi tugged him a little closer, burying his nose into Eren's hair.

Levi wanted the war to be over as soon as possible so they could go home and live in peace.

* * *

><p>The werewolves feasted on the animals the farm had in the stables. They ate all the chickens and two horses. They left one horse alive for the pregnant lady so that she would be able to travel to wherever she wanted to.<p>

Jean kept an eye on her at all times since she seemed most comfortable with him. Grisha had told him to keep watch on her just in case she tried to escape through the window. Jean thought it was not likely she would in the condition that she was in but he did as Grisha said.

"Why did you say you didn't want the baby?" Jean asked from Amelie whom he was guarding. They were in her room that she had near the kitchen. It was better to keep her away from any knives for the time being.

The woman in question looked surprised but then darkness overtook her beautiful brown eyes. "I did not wish for this child," her tone suggested it was not a happy topic for her at all.

"But why are you having one?" Jean could not understand how human reproduction rituals worked. Why on earth was she pregnant in the first place? "Did you talk with your mate about having one?"

Amelie looked at him like he was insane. "I don't have a mate whatever that means. I got unlucky and ended up pregnant."

"Unlucky?" Jean was still not getting it. If she had no mate then… "Oh my god, I'm sorry," he said when it occurred to him that she might be a victim of a savage attack.

The woman chuckled humorlessly. "I'd like to say that it was all my fault but what could I do when this job is, was, the only one I could get."

"Don't humans have rules against unwanted attention?" Jean wondered. If someone in their pack didn't want someone's affections then the matter was usually settled with baring one's teeth and an angry growl that would be enough to tell that someone they should back off. Sometimes matters were settled on the nights of the full moon in a form of an actual fight.

The woman sighed. "I guess. I could have accused him of forcing himself on me but who would they believe, me or the man of the house?"

"You should have hit him," Jean said with determination. "In our pack no one has the right to touch a female if they don't give you the permission."

Amelie smiled at the young man. "That sounds nice." She wished she had had such a protection.

When she went to bed Jean transformed into the wolf form and slept in front of the door inside her room.


	47. Chapter 46

**AN: **Despite the overwhelming support I got for the previous chapter, here is the next one.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 46<strong>

* * *

><p>The pack rested well before their trek that would take them East to the vampire clan's home. Majority of the pack slept in one pile in the main room of the house with the fireplace keeping them warm.<p>

It was early in the morning when someone from the pack knocked on the door of the room that Levi and Eren had reserved for themselves. "Eren, Levi, we leave soon!"

Levi stirred from his sleep immediately but Eren was stubborn and faked to be still asleep.

Levi ignored the young wolf and got up. They needed to get ready as soon as possible.

The morning was quiet as Levi made his way out of the room to check upon the pack and Grisha. He found the old wolf talking to Armin. "Grisha," Levi called out.

"Ah, Levi," the old wolf said as he noticed Levi moving towards them. "The group to the north has departed already." That group consisted of Jean, Mikasa, Mikasa's parents and all son's of the Blouse family.

Levi glanced at the main room window and didn't see a spec of light outside.

Grisha's calm voice made him look back at him. "Tell Eren we need to go."

Levi nodded. He returned to the bedroom and found Eren already transformed into his wolf form. He had actually been just about to head to the door when Levi showed up.

"We need to go," the vampire told the young wolf. "We are taking a slightly different route than the others."

Levi walked towards the main entrance with Eren in tow. He found who he was looking for right there. "Amelie, was it? We'll be escorting you as far as we can," Levi said to the pregnant woman. Before he could comment any further Connie walked in.

"The horse is ready," Connie said. "I better get ready too." Connie then disappeared into one of the rooms nearby. Levi suspected he would get undressed and back into his wolf form.

The wolves would be taking a route through the woods as much as possible. In the meanwhile Eren and Levi would be taking the road that lead towards Sina. Hopefully no one would want to stop them for a quick chat. Levi really needed to be out of the wide open before the sun got up.

Levi noticed the woman eyeing him longer than necessary. "What?" he asked.

"You are not a werewolf. Why are you with them?" she asked without any hesitation.

"That is a very long story," the vampire simply answered.

"We have time?" she suggested when they made their way outside into the cold early morning.

"I'm mated to Eren, the werewolf who is with us today."

Amelie's face lit up with understanding. "Oh I see. Jean told me something about the customs of the werewolves yesterday. We had a lot of time to talk."

Levi helped her mount the horse. To him she was light and required no effort to support her.

"I'm riding with you if that is okay?" he asked before getting on the horse himself.

"Of course. I might fall if I was here all alone," she said.

Levi hummed as he felt Eren's jealousy spike. He rolled his eyes at his mate for being foolishly jealous of human lady.

They left as soon as Levi made sure that the woman was seated comfortably.

"Tell me if the speed is too much," Levi told Amelie who was unfortunately a bit taller than him and he hardly saw where they were going. "I trust you know how to handle a horse?"

Amelie giggled. "Of course." She was not obvious to his blindness problem.

Eren snorted.

Levi glared at him.

Eren snorted again.

"You find this funny wolf boy?" Levi asked.

Amelie was surprised. "You understand each other?"

Levi paused to think. _Wasn't it obvious that Eren laughed just now?_ Hadn't it been so?

He forgot to answer her for quite a while as he was lost in thought. "Yes," he finally answered her.

"Can you read his thoughts or something?" Amelie asked truly dumbfounded.

"No. I have been around him for long enough to know when he finds something amusing. Although we do share an emotional bond."

"Oh..."

Levi knew she knew nothing about the subject so he continued, "When a vampire bonds someone they gain an ability to read into their mate's emotional state of mind."

Amelie was silent for a moment. "That sounds like it can be a blessing _and_ a curse."

The vampire had to agree with her. "It sometimes is."

The next few hours they spent by having light smalltalk that did not venture too deeply into anything particular. Amelie told about her life and childhood which Levi replied with his own stories. While they talked Eren travelled out of sight just a hundred meters away in the forest.

The sun was about to rise when they were finally at the crossroads that would be the place where Levi and Eren would leave Amelie.

Levi asked her to stop the horse and he dropped down from the horse. "I am sure you can make your way from here on by yourself."

She nodded. "Yes. I think so."

"Good. I hope we do not meet again under these same circumstances." Levi bid her farewell.

Levi turned to face the forest where he knew Eren would be waiting for him. But instead of waiting for him, the young wolf came out of the forest and came to stand by him.

"Goodbye and thank you," Amelie said and urged the horse onward.

The next time she looked behind her she saw no sign of either the vampire nor the werewolf.

* * *

><p>Jean was not happy, not at all. They had travelled for most of the day and by the time they arrived at the place that Eren and Levi had been kept as prisoners the light outside was not yet fading.<p>

He had wanted to get straight into fighting but they would wait until darkness came and the temperature outside dropped. The humans would not be likely to venture outside and if they did then they could freeze to death in matter of hours.

They'd be inside their little castle unable to escape outside.

"It will become dark fast once the sun sets. We attack within two hours after," Anthony, Mikasa's father, said.

All they could was wait. They did not know how strong opponent they would have. They didn't know how well the soldiers inside would be prepared for their attack.

"We need to find Reiner if he is here. We'll save anyone else who is kept here. That is our mission," Anthony said to the group. "You have my permission to kill anyone who tries to interfere with that." He said those words with heavy heart. He did not want the young ones to take part in this kind of mission but they had no choice. Their future as a pack was at stake if the humans kept their promise of ridding the world of werewolves altogether.

The grounds around the castle were quiet. They did surround the place while they waited but they did not see anyone outside. The weather must have been too cold for the humans to venture out.

Two hours after their arrival they had their first sighting of humans. A group of them came out of the back entrance talking merrily to each other. They lit their cigarettes and kept talking non stop, laughing at each other in joking manner. Clearly they were relaxed and not expecting an attack.

Anthony noted that each of them carried a gun over their shoulder but didn't seem to be reaching for any of them. They had become accustomed to carrying a gun and not using it at all. It seemed that the half a year of peace had made them drop their guard.

"They are not concerned at all," Anthony muttered out loud to himself.

The soldiers went back inside once they had their cigarette break. Their voices faded out once the back door was closed and locked behind them.

"So using that door is out of question." Anthony knew they needed a solid plan on how to get inside. He had seen some storage shed a few paces off to the Western side of the castle. Maybe there could be something they could use.

He took his mate with him as they went to search the shed in the darkening evening. "I'm sorry to ask you of this," Anthony said as they hit a jackpot. "But I trust no one like you to act as a diversion, honey." He took an old blanket from on top of a box full of junk.

The air was cold as he wrapped his naked mate into the blanket. He did not spent much time in human form himself. "You have to knock on the door and make them buy your story of being lost or something. You can come up with your own version as you go." He told Cathy who nodded.

"It won't be a problem. I take it that I need to lure them out without them having a chance of closing the door?"

Anthony nodded affirming her inquiry.

"Leave it to me," she said. "Whenever you give the sign I'll head for that door and get us in."

Anthony was back in his wolf form and he pushed his head against her thigh as a sign of appreciation and affection. She smiled down at him.

Her smile disappeared though as as soon as Anthony gave the order for Christopher and Billy to sneak on the either side of the door to wait for their chance.

Rest of the group waited at safe distance in case something went wrong. Anthony had instructed them to join the attack as soon as the door was open and the guards of it killed. He had emphasized that they needed to kill the humans as quietly as possible. "Go for their throats," he had instructed the group. "Don't give them a chance to retaliate."

But they had one crucial obstacle to overcome.

To get inside the castle in the first place.

Anthony knew that if Cathy could not do it then no one could.

She walked to door getting into character of this poor woman who had walked her way to this lonely castle in the woods. She knocked on the door with her fist as if she was in panic. "Please help!" she shouted and took a step backwards waiting.

Soon there was a loud unlocking sound and the door was opened.

She didn't give them a chance to say anything. "Please," she pleaded. "Help me..." she gasped and fell to her knees as if she was exhausted from her trip.

"Hey, don't sit down in the snow!" the soldier exclaimed panicking that she was in bad shape.

"So tired," she whined and she pretended to struggle to keep her eyes open.

"Oi! Come help me! There is a woman freezing to death out here!" the soldier yelled and he failed to take his eyes of the woman. Otherwise he would have seen the young wolf ready to strike by the door.

Two other men walked out and that was when they stroke. Anthony took the man who was walking out first. Billy took the latter of the two aiming for his throat.

The soldier who was cradling Cathy in his arms had no chance either when she had wrapped her arms around his neck while faking her anguish. Now she only needed to grab his head in her hands and twist his neck.

Anthony rushed inside as soon as possible, the rest of the group following him. They stormed the place, not seeing anyone else in the entrance hall. But the shouting of the soldier had aroused interest in others. Two more men came to see what the commotion was about.

Billy rushed with his brother Christopher to take the two soldiers out who had no chance either. One of them had time to scream when he saw the wolves coming for them.

That was when the real battle began.

"Wolves!" Someone shouted when they spotted the werewolves. "Guns at ready!"

Anthony had underestimated their battle readiness. Apparently they had been anticipating some sort of attack in some form since the soldiers got ready in a heartbeat.

Gunshots rang through the air.

Smell of blood filled the space around them.

The battle grew fierce. Mikasa attacked head on toward a man who had been struggling with his gun. But he was finally done and she didn't want to give him a chance to aim at it at her. She managed to bite down on his arm, not exactly where she would have wanted to.

The soldier was quick on his feet, kicking her on the legs and kneeing her in the gut. He raised his rifle and shouted, "You bitch!" He hit her on the head with the back of his rifle.

She whined in pain and the force of it. It caused her to release her hold.

The man grunted in pain as well but he was far from being done with her. He hit her again before she had time to recover. He grabbed hold of the gun by its barrel, hitting the werewolf on the back with more brutal force. "Die you piece of shit!" he screamed while hitting her in blind rage.

His rage had him unable to notice the werewolf approaching him at high speed. There was nothing he could have done to prevent the attack coming his way. Once close enough, the werewolf jumped and dank it's sharp teeth into his neck, tearing his throat open with one yank.

"Mikasa!" Anthony howled frantically. His daughter was lying motionless on the ground. She was breathing but unconscious. Anthony did not know what to do for a moment. His mind was filled with overflowing worry for his daughter. He needed to move her and he also needed someone to help him. But the battle was still on going. He couldn't afford to distract anyone.

Cathy had reacted immediately she heard her mate's anguished howl of Mikasa's name. She was just as horrified when she arrived to the scene.

"We need to move her away from here," he told her.

"No, we don't know how badly she is hurt," Cathy argued back.

They had no time to argue though. They had wounded wolves to look after and humans to fight.

"I'll leave her with you," Anthony told her. "We need to end this." He made haste to help all the struggling members of the pack. So many of them were wounded. He saw a wolf lying on the floor, breathless, lifeless and unmoving.

He saw red. Bloodlust overtook him as he charged towards the remaining soldiers that had put up a good fight.

But now was their time to die.


	48. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47**

* * *

><p>"They are late!" Grisha growled pacing back and forth. It had been four days since they parted from the group that headed North.<p>

The main force had arrived at the Reiss mansion all in one piece. They had left a few scouts on the way in key points equipped with whistles. They had someone outside the mansion at all times to pick up any possible signals being sent.

"I'm sure they are on their way here," Armin said, trying to calm the pack leader. It was indeed odd that the smaller group had not showed up yet but there could be multiple reasons why they hadn't.

Grisha growled in frustration.

While Grisha paced around Levi and Eren were taking part in a gathering of sorts. The vampire clans that had already showed up were discussing the matter of tactics and whatnot. Levi would have liked to bring Armin with him to this meeting but the other vampires were a little suspicious about the werewolves even now. Plus some of the oldest vampires had been in several wars and knew exactly how humans thought and what kind of strategies they'd use.

They suggested that the vampires would move as one during the night and the werewolves were to have the battlefield during the day. They'd overpower the humans with relentless onslaught.

Levi was not so sure this plan would work but it could. It all depended on what the barracks design was. They should assume it would not be easy to conquer. They would know more once Kenny arrived. He had all the information they needed and Kenny also should already be here.

"We need to take care of our own," Levi whispered to Eren. "There is no point to expect a unity from werewolves and vampires."

Eren was disappointed. "Really? They could do so much. If we all went together the battle might be won in a heartbeat." It may have seemed idealistic but it would have been better for them to work together. What chance did the humans have if they combined their strength?

"And if it isn't? What if they have something to kill us off with?" Levi inquired.

"I don't remember you being this negative?" the question did not come from Eren. Levi and Eren both turned to look at the vampire grinning at them.

Eren took a step behind Levi. He had a bad feeling about the vampire that had appeared next to them. He trusted his instincts above all else.

"Uri," Levi drawled. "Long time no see."

"Indeed!" the new vampire grinned even wider. "I had to come over to see it with my own eyes that you mated a werewolf!" His eyes landed on Eren and he waved with a sickening smile on his face.

Eren wanted to get far as possible from him. Uri had not done anything threatening but there was an aura around him that told Eren to run away.

Levi felt Eren's fear towards Uri. He wanted to tell him that there was nothing to fear when Uri was among his own folk. Uri had never hurt another vampire. He was extremely vicious against humans though. Which made Levi wonder where on Uri's scale were werewolves?

But he doubted that Uri would hurt his mate.

"Now you have seen him. Go away."

Uri tsk'ed. "So rude. Are you not going to introduce us first?"

Levi scoffed not pleased with how things were progressing. "Uri, this is my mate Eren. Now get lost."

Uri laughed, his hand over his mouth. "Eren? Nice to meet you Eren." The vampire moved right next to the werewolf who jumped a little as a reaction. Uri extended his hand towards Eren. "I'm Uri Reiss."

Eren looked at the hand offered to him. Was it truly a gesture of friendship or not? He looked at Levi who nodded. Eren took the offered hand not liking it one bit.

Instead of simple shake, Uri kissed the back of Eren's hand.

"That's enough," Levi interrupted the other vampire. He wanted to slap that hand away from Eren.

"I'm just trying to be nice," Uri defended himself as he let go of Eren's hand.

"I don't want your fangs anywhere near him." Levi glared at the older vampire who just smirked at him.

"No need to be angry, Levi. As you said, now I've seen him. It was a pleasure to meet you, Eren. Farewell," Uri said with a casual wave of his hand and left.

When the vampire was out of their sight Eren placed his arm around Levi's neck. "He gives me the creeps."

"He isn't violent towards other vampires and I should hope he won't harm any werewolves either," Levi explained.

"He'll make more than one enemy if he does anything to anyone," Eren said.

Levi couldn't agree more.

Uri was not the first one to come and 'see' Eren but he was the first one that had made Eren scared. "There was something oddly cold about him," the werewolf said out loud.

"He is a pureblood through and through. But he will be a great asset in the fights to come. He won't so any mercy towards the humans and he won't hesitate to kill either no matter the situation. He isn't persuaded like some others might be if someone pleads for mercy," Levi said, knowing he himself had made the mistake of letting someone live when he shouldn't have. He wouldn't be making that mistake again.

* * *

><p>"Levi!" A voice called out for the vampire who was relaxing with Eren. They were huddled on a chair together that barely fit them both but Eren had an iron grip on Levi's shoulders. Of course Levi wasn't going to let go of him either.<p>

The mansion was getting filled with people and there was hardly enough room for them all. So instead of fighting for privacy, Levi and Eren had decided to take what they got and be happy with that. Every room of the mansion was filled with people. The werewolves were grumpy as it was but the rest of the pack had conquered one room where all of them would stay for the duration of this war.

"Levi! There is a group of vampires approaching the mansion. Someone said it could be your uncle Kenny." The vampire who delivered the message was one of the members of Levi's own clan, or his former clan as he had been exiled.

Eren stirred from his position on Levi's arms and the vampire rose to his feet. Eren was right behind him as they made their way to the front door.

"Levi!" Kenny exclaimed happily as soon as he saw his nephew. "Good to see you and Eren, ah my precious little wolf. I missed you both!" The older vampire was all about hugs at that moment which both Levi and Eren came to notice when Kenny enveloped them into his bear hug one after the other.

"Uncle," Levi said politely acknowledging that he was back indeed. "I take it you had no problems?"

"Problems? Nooo," Kenny waved his hand dismissively once he let go of Eren. He kept his hand on Eren's shoulder though. Kenny did not miss the way Levi's eye twitched when he saw it. "The humans had no idea what was going on. We burned the place down in no time at all. Of course we took what we wanted. A few guns and some bullets. We hid them inside one of my coffins and pretended to be a mourning party who were taking their brother to his home village for burial. So many people asked and gave their condolences. Such a sweet people there are in this world." Kenny had gone off the tangent and started to spout his usual nonsense.

"Anyway," Levi cleared his throat. "You got the job done."

"Oh yes," Kenny's tone was smug. "No problems at all. We had all the time in the world to 'escape'." The vampire made quotation mark with his fingers and smirked. "Although walking back here was not fun but bearable at least. We did almost have to open the coffin but once we told them how tragically our beloved brother died, no one wanted to see the mutilated body."

Levi could only imagine what kind of story Kenny had been feeding to the humans.

Eren joined into the conversation. "Mutilated?" he asked curious as to what it meant.

"Yes, we told them that he had been attacked by a bear which ate both of his legs and mauled his body all over. Then the vultures picked out his eyes and ate his nose. He was still recognizable but he looks horrid." Kenny was smirking at the end of his speech. "Do you like my version?"

Eren didn't look so good. "Yeah it's awesome." He didn't want to hear anymore of what had happened to this imaginative brother of Kenny's.

"Are you okay?" kenny asked out of concern. "Are you feeling sick? You are not pregnant again are you? Levi, what did I tell you, no more kids until Eren is of age! You know how his father will react if he finds out."

"He's not pregnant," Levi hissed and removed Kenny's hand from Eren's shoulder. "He just didn't appreciate your little story."

"But why not? He said it was awesome. Oh poor Eren, you don't need to lie for my sake. I can handle criticism." Kenny looked slightly offended by Eren's little white lie.

Levi did not let Eren answer his uncle. "We are glad you are okay, Uncle. It's good to have you back."

"It is good to be back indeed. Me and my buddies will take the weapons to a secure location. I have a feeling we'll be having a meeting soon," Kenny said with a finger raised as he turned around and stalked out of the door.

Levi watched him go. He turned to Eren, "Let's go back to our spot."

The werewolf nodded. He couldn't agree more. Maybe it was the low blood sugar that made him nauseous so easily.

* * *

><p>For them to work efficiently enough the vampires had established a chain of command fairly quickly. The eldest son of the Reiss clan, Rob, was their leader of this so called war. No one had opposed to this decision since he had experience in fighting humans and running the show so to speak. Of course Rob had advisors who helped him to make these decisions.<p>

Their second in command was from another clan, a powerful clan that lived in the South. His name was Giovanni, his skin was unnaturally sun kissed looking. That detail spoke of his lineage having human blood mixed in it. There was no other way for vampires to reach such skin colors unless they have children with humans who had it.

Some vampires were not as happy about Giovanni being in command as the others were. Giovanni was known for his fierce temper and ability to take out his enemies silently. It was his heritage that made some of the most conservative vampires miffed.

There was a group who was miffed as well and that was the werewolves. They were not getting much of representation in the war plans. They were there to only help and possibly even die for the cause they had no control over. Eren was let into the meetings only because Levi demanded his presence.

They had gathered for their first official war meeting. Now it was time to make definite plans.

Kenny tried to hide his smugness when he pulled out a map. "Here is a piece of info that cost me a lot of money." He waved the piece of paper between his fingers like it was a precious thing. Which in fact it was.

Kenny opened the map and laid it out on the table that the whole bunch of them were gathered around. Several vampires were keen on seeing what the map held.

"How on earth did you get this?" Rob asked astonished to see the map of the barracks grounds.

Kenny grinned. "Like I said, money." He rubbed his forefinger and thumb together in front of Rob to emphasize the fact.

Rob was not impressed by Kenny's antics. "I am not stupid enough to believe this is all you have up your sleeve."

"Of course I do!" Kenny was hardly containing his enthusiasm to tell everyone exactly what he knew. "I have detailed information about their movements within the compound. Their shift routines and everything you can think of on top of your head that we would need to know."

Rob looked impressed but annoyed a little. "I see. Dare to share it with the rest of us?"

"Since you asked," Kenny said faking modesty. "The barracks has six watch towers. Five of them are on the outer walls, surrounding the whole compound. The sixth is here on the inside and it is not manned during the day, only at night." Kenny was pointing at the map. "For us to get in past these watch towers we need to attack from the south. The southern tower is the only one that has no clear line of sight to other towers. It is our way in. They change guards every two hours. During that time only one guard stays up in the tower until they change is fully complete. The exchange takes only a few minutes which does not leave us much time to work with but it should be enough for us to infiltrate and take over the tower."

Kenny continued after a small pause, "The real problem comes afterwards. We can hide in the nearby buildings and use them to our advantage but an all out attack from there on is going to be tricky. Surely once they get whiff of our attack the sixth tower is going to be more than packed. From there alone they can shoot anyone who tries to get anywhere near the command center in the middle. Even if the tower falls there is still windows that all face to the middle. There is literally no way into the command buildings without being seen."

"The outer walls of these buildings are windowless but they have small openings from which they can defend them if needed." The command buildings were in an U-shape formation, leaving little openings to get into any of them.

Rob had listened to every word he had said and followed his hand when it pointed out the various thing on the map. "So what you are saying is that we need a backup plan?"

"Yes," Kenny said. "That is why I brought guns with me. I had some time to discuss this with my friends while we made our trip here. Our idea is to create a diversion in the northwest corner where one of the watch towers is. The diversion has to come right on time with the tower in south being taken over. It is an ambitious plan but I think we could pull it off."

Perhaps it was not his place to talk but Eren voiced his idea at this point, "Why not use the whistles to give out the order to start the diversion? Have werewolves help in both teams."

Kenny was smiling at him with a proud look on his face. Rob on the other hand was little surprised that Eren had dared to even say anything. To him the werewolf was a mistake on Levi's part. But their leader had to admit the werewolf had a good head on his shoulders. "Thank you for your input, _Eren_," Rob said.

The talking continued for more than an hour after that. Eren was the only one showing any signs of fatigue and Levi asked to be excused with his mate. They could hear the rest of the talk from Kenny if there was anything they needed to know.

Levi had a feeling that the plans would be put into action fairly soon. It was just a matter of days, even hours when their attack would begin. And there was still no sign of the missing werewolves. He shared Eren's concern for their safety.

Levi took Eren back to their little spot. The chair had proved to be not comfortable to sleep in so Levi had pulled the chair little off the wall. He had given Eren all the clothing they had with them. Most of the clothes were for Eren to wear. He had told Eren to make a nest for them to sleep on. Levi had strapped his cloak over the chair and over them to give them a little bit of privacy which was what they needed. That was where they had slept for the past few days.

"_This is still better than the cell,"_ Eren had joked half-asleep when they had huddled down together for the first night. Levi couldn't have agreed more.


	49. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48**

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><p>"Eren!"<p>

"Eren!"

"Eren!"

The third time was the charm and the werewolf woke up.

Eren saw Armin crouching next to their little nest. Eren rubbed his exhausted eyes. "What time is it?" he asked because that was the only thing his mind could comprehend right now.

"Early, but that is not important," Armin said urgently. "They are back!" he hissed enthusiastically.

"They?" Eren blinked confused as to whom Armin was referring to.

"The others who went to north," Armin clarified.

"What?!" Eren was suddenly wide awake. He ended up stirring Levi from his slumber as well.

"What is going on?" the vampire asked, reluctant to let Eren go when the werewolf tried to get up. He had been snuggling up to Eren's warmth on the cold hard floor.

"They're back!" Eren whispered to him and wiggled out of his arms.

Levi grunted when he was dumped like a heap of junk as Eren hurried after Armin. He rubbed his eyes and groaned, getting up as well. He was reluctant to leave Eren alone in this place.

Eren on the other hand was not paying any mind to Levi as he almost broke into a run to get to see the pack members that had been gone longer than they expected.

All Eren enthusiasm died when he saw how few of them had returned. Several pack members were gathered at the front doors. Grisha with some of the older werewolves.

"Where is Mikasa?" Eren asked worried for the female werewolf who he knew to be strong fighter. Why wasn't she among the two individuals standing in front of them. The only ones to return were Jean and Christopher. "What about Anthony and Cathy?" Eren continued to inquire. "What happened?" the young wolf was getting frantic. He was refusing to think of the worst. No that simply couldn't happen.

"Eren, calm down," Grisha was the one who stepped in to calm him. "Jean has told me that there was more resistance than they expected."

Eren swallowed hard. "What happened?" he repeated his question.

Jean was the one to talk. "We got in fairly easily but they were prepared for us. Mikasa got hurt badly and that distracted Anthony and Cathy. They… it was a mess," Jean could hardly say the last words. He had obviously meant to say something else than that but he couldn't.

"What.." Eren was not able to ask before his father interrupted him.

"They are dead, Eren. Mikasa is hurt but her parents are dead."

Eren's mind went blank. _Dead?_ It was almost impossible. Mikasa had been hurt. Eren wanted to see her as soon as possible. "Where is she?"

Jean was the one who spoke, "She is on her way home with Reiner."

"You found him?!" Eren rushed to grab Jean by his shoulders.

"Yes. He was in good shape but traumatized. He was well enough to help Mikasa home. They'll make it." Jean took a deep breath appearing calmer than a moment before.

At least Reiner was safe. Eren sighed relieved to hear that but he felt anxious that Mikasa and Reiner were both hurt and alone together.

"What about the boys?" Eren asked meaning the Blouse boys. There had been several of them.

Christopher's eyes were dead when he said, "They are dead." That was the only thing he said, looking pale. His voice was void of emotion.

Eren couldn't believe it. He felt deep sadness looking at Christopher, a bit of pile rose to his throat even imagining the future without those brothers of Christopher.

Levi had finally arrived, seeing, hearing and feeling Eren's distress. Levi touched Eren's arm softly to let him know he was physically here. "But you managed to destroy the place, right?" he asked from the werewolves that had survived.

"Yes. We made sure it all burnt to the ground." Jean gagged at the memory of burning bodies and the odour that they left. The castle was now only a pile of rubble and with that the research of the vaccine destroyed.

Levi was relieved to hear that. There should be no more problems from the humans in that front. Well only if they managed to kill the leader of the horrible organization that tried to kill them. "Did you manage to kill them all?" he had to ask because he was worried that someone might have been spared.

"Yes. There was no one left alive," Jean confirmed his hopes.

"Thank god," Levi said under his breath.

Eren's head whipped around to look at Levi. "People are dead, Levi. Part of my family is dead and you thank the god?"

"Eren!" Grisha snapped. "That is enough. We are all in pain because of this. We don't need a fight amongst ourselves."

"How can you be so calm Father? They're dead, all dead!"

"Not all!" Grisha shouted. "Jean and Christopher came back alive and Mikasa and Reiner are on their way home. And I can be calm because I have to, Eren! That is the first lessons you should have learned from me about being a leader."

Eren gritted his teeth ready to growl but then he hung his head in shame. He knew he had to keep his head calm but he couldn't help it.

Levi's hand tightened around his bicep gently, making the werewolf look at him. Their gazes locked together for a moment. Levi didn't need to said out loud what he wanted to say. Eren got the message loud and clear. _Calm down._ But that was not was enough for Eren, he turned to pull Levi into one armed hug.

The vampire wrapped his arms around Eren, pulling him tighter against himself. Levi felt the surge of emotion, Eren was close to tears. Levi raised his hand to tug Eren's head close, wanting to hide his face from others.

Eren drew in a shuddering breath, holding his tears back as much as possible. He wrapped his other arm around Levi as well, anchoring himself onto the vampire.

Out of respect the others looked away. Grisha put Armin in charge of leading the two survivors to the room where rest of the pack was waiting. He told the others to go back as well. "Eren," he then spoke to his son with concerned tone. "It is alright to grieve. We all will do it in our own way and in our own time. Don't lose sight of what we still need to do before we return home to our loved ones." Grisha touched Eren's shoulder briefly. Then he addressed his next word to Levi. "Take care of him."

"Of course," Levi replied.

When Grisha was gone Levi petted Eren's hair. He felt something wet against the side of his head. Eren's sniffs and raspy breaths told him all he needed to know. "Shhhh," he hushed quietly when Eren's crying escalated into audible sobs.

"They are gone.. all gone.." Eren cried, his words breaking as he tried to breath through his tears at the same time.

Levi distanced himself from Eren's pain. He wouldn't let Eren see him cry. "Not all," Levi kept telling him as Eren kept repeating "gone.." over and over again.

They had lost part of their family that could not be replaced. Anthony had become part of Levi's life too because of the construction of their house. The pain Eren felt must be only be a fraction of the pain that the whole pack felt. Eren was still young. The ones that had lived much longer were the ones who truly felt the loss of their pack mates.

That did not nothing to quell the deep sadness in Eren's heart though. He had known all those people his whole life and now suddenly they would not be there. They'd never come back. Why hadn't he said goodbye properly when he had the chance? Eren's whole form shook as regret seeped into his heart overwhelming the sorrow. "Why didn't I say goodbye to Mikasa or Jean? They could be dead!" Eren cried.

"But they aren't," Levi told him sternly. "Saying goodbye wouldn't have changed a thing."

Eren pulled away and Levi wiped away his tears and said, "Come on, let's go back to our spot. The order to attack could come any moment."

But Eren wouldn't budge. "No, not yet."

With a sad smile, Levi agreed. He hugged his mate tight as they stood there for a moment longer in silence.

* * *

><p>"<em>I want to go talk to the others,"<em> was what Eren had said when Levi had prompted they should return to their spot the second time.

It was clear that Eren didn't want him to go with him so Levi reluctantly let him go alone. Eren would be safe with the pack. They were not that far away after all.

But it wasn't the pack Levi was worried about.

Eren talked things over with Armin who was just as upset about the lost members as everyone else. It put things into perspective when he saw the rest of the pack comforting each other, sharing their pain and not hiding it.

Eren said goodbye to his friends and family as he made his way back to Levi. He was lost in thought as he walked which was why he hadn't noticed the vampire until it was too late.

"Hello there, little wolf," drawled the last vampire that Eren wanted to see, Uri, who also blocked Eren's way.

Eren took an instinctive step back when he saw who it was. There was no way to get past the bloodthirsty creature in front of him. Eren didn't know what to say and he didn't need to when the vampire spoke again.

"Where is your mate?" Uri's tone was not as sincere as the vampire probably hoped it to be.

Eren gulped, hoping it wasn't too noticeable. This wasn't good. Not at all. "I'm just about to go to him," Eren ended up saying. "If you'll excuse me." He tried to move past Uri but his way was blocked by a simple side step. Eren's fear levels rose dramatically.

"Why the hurry, little one?" Uri's tone made Eren's skin crawl. "I've wanted to talk to you alone all day and now here you are. Don't be rude and leave before you hear what I have to say."

Eren took a step back again. "I don't know what you could possibly have to say to me. I really need to go." He wanted to get the hell away from Uri as fast as possible. Eren debated if he could outrun him but it was unlikely. If he had head start then maybe but not from this distance no.

"To Levi? You could have it so much better, you know. Why don't you ditch him and become mine instead?" Uri did not beat around the bush.

Every hair on Eren's body lifted up at the suggestion. His skin was on goosebumps as he said, "Levi is my mate."

"But that doesn't mean you have to stay with him forever," Uri stated it as if it was obvious.

Eren failed with his words, trying to find something to say that would make Uri leave him alone. There was no way he would ever leave Levi. Uri was insane for thinking such a thing. Had Uri had a mate that he abandoned? Why was he even thinking that way? _He has no heart_, Eren concluded.

Uri smiled creepily at him. "I hear you can give birth."

Eren's eyes widened a little as his fear grew. Why was Uri interested in that fact? It was common knowledge now that Eren and Levi had children but that couldn't possibly mean that Uri wanted to have children. "Only with Levi," he hurried to say. It wasn't technically true but if Uri bought it then it was a good lie to tell.

Nevertheless Uri was suspicious of what Eren said. "How do you know?"

"It's a werewolf thing," Eren said quickly. "We mate for life. I can't leave him."

"Everybody can be abandoned, little wolf. Being mates means nothing if you find something more worthwhile." Uri took a step towards Eren who backed away just as much. "It's such a shame. You and I could have so much fun together." Uri ran a finger down Eren's face. The werewolf didn't dare to move. "We could have a testrun. Levi doesn't have to know."

Eren wanted to run right at that second. He couldn't help but fear for his life at the hands of this vampire practically looming over him. "I decline," he managed to choke out.

"Really?" Uri didn't sound like he believed Eren at all.

Eren was about to say, "_Yes really."_ when he heard his name being called.

"_Eren!"_

Levi was on his way to where Uri was holding Eren. The werewolf sighed in relief when Levi showed up.

"Ah, Levi. We were talking about you." Uri's face was split into an unpleasant smile.

"Oh really now?" Levi asked sarcastically, wedging himself between Uri and Eren. Levi had sensed that something was wrong with Eren. The fear had been so apparent that Levi simply couldn't help but come and see what was going on. His worst fear had been confirmed when he saw Uri touching his mate with his dirty ass finger. "Don't touch my mate ever again, Uri," he threatened, knowing it wasn't wise but Levi saw no other option. Uri was causing fear in Eren, that was reason enough for Levi.

The older vampire laughed loudly, "Hahahahahaa! Ah, Levi, you are such a comedian. I did no harm to lovely Eren. You get jealous too easily."

Levi narrowed his eyes at him. "Even so, _I_ have a problem with it."

Uri seemed smug that he had managed to ruffle Levi's feathers. "You don't want to fight me, Levi."

"Let's just go," Eren suggested when the atmosphere around them got intense.

"Listen to your mate," Uri taunted. "He doesn't want you to get hurt."

Levi pondered if it was worth it to sock Uri in the face. He wanted to break his nose just for being there and ever laying a finger on Eren.

"Please," Eren whispered. "Let's go." Eren tugged lightly on Levi's arm. He didn't want them to fight because of something so small. Uri was frightening being but he hadn't done anything, yet.

Levi relaxed and let Eren tug him back a bit. "Alright."

As the situation dissolved Uri smiled triumphantly. "Good for you, Levi. Have a pleasant night," Uri bid them farewell and left the scene. Eren had a feeling that this was not over yet but he dared to hope that it was.

"Did he do anything to you?" Levi asked as soon as Uri was out of their sight.

"No," Eren choked, thinking about the things Uri had suggested. "We just talked."

Levi narrowed his eyes at him but didn't comment. "So you are alright?"

Eren nodded, giving Levi a quick lick on the cheek. "Thanks."

"I'm not letting you go about alone anymore. I don't trust him one bit."

For once Eren was glad he heard Levi say that. Under any other circumstances he might have felt peeved. But not since he met Uri. Eren hoped they'd be going home soon and he would be as far away from Uri as possible.

* * *

><p>Levi expected Eren to fall asleep quickly after all that had happened. Eren had not struggled at all when Levi had pulled him close. The werewolf had practically thrown himself at Levi. Levi himself fell asleep soon after.<p>

But Eren did not as he couldn't fall asleep that fast. The harsh reality and what happened with Uri was what kept him awake. He watched Levi's peaceful face as he vampire slept. His mind wandered to their pups and how they were doing.

They would have more in the future, right? Eren couldn't judge Levi's skill as a father yet that much but so far he had been wonderful. If he continued to be so then Eren could see them having more pups together. Levi had told him once that he could have pups with someone else than him if he so wished but Eren couldn't see himself doing that. No one else could compare to Levi. Eren had spend his whole life among other werewolves so mating with the vampire had been exciting thing to do. Break the rules so to speak. Not that Eren would willingly admit that to anyone. His father would have a heart attack if he learned that Eren thought that way.

Eren had had some naive thoughts before about having a big happy family but now he saw the reality of losing family members and what it felt like. Angel had died before she ever had a chance and now his friends had died. They had chosen to fight, knowing they could die. They had a choice.

If Eren had a choice, he would run away with Levi and their pups. He would hide them all away from the cruelty of this world. But they didn't have that luxury. The humans would not stop unless they were stopped.

Eren wasn't sure if going into war was the best way to do so but the vampires seemed to know what they were doing. Eren wasn't naive enough to think that this would be the end of things even if they killed them all the humans who were a threat.

Someone somewhere would eventually decide to do something again. Eren could see the happy ending but it was not realistic, was it?


	50. Chapter 49

**AN:** I forgot to say last time but I am literally swamped with school work. It is unfortunate that this is the case. I'd love to write this as much as I can but school comes first. I do hope that I get to finish this story before this turns 2 years old ! Jesus! xD

Given the age of this fic I am sorry if I make mistakes in the plot or details. It is not possible for me to read this every time I need to or remember everything that I have put in here so…

Either way, the war is here and we'll see how it starts and what goes on. Tbh there isn't **that **many chapters left. I estimated maybe 6 or so when I last made one.. :D

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 49<strong>

* * *

><p>The order came a few days later.<p>

The order to assemble the forces.

They had a plan apparently.

Levi would have wanted to be more part of it but he was obviously younger and more inexperienced than most of the vampires he was going out to war with. In total almost two hundred vampires had showed up at the Reiss estate. Some had even come from far away when they had heard the call. The fate of one of the vampire families, who had lost almost all their sons to the vaccine, had caused quite a reaction in most vampires.

Levi was glad he hadn't had to use his energy to convince everyone of the danger. That was a relief in itself but they didn't have time to be relieved as the whole building was buzzing with excited vampires. Most of them were thrilled to get shed blood once again.

Eren looked around, his ears flicking nervously as he stood by Levi's side.

The forces had been divided into three big groups which had smaller subgroups. Eren and Levi had been put into a group that would infiltrate the Barracks from the south. They were in the frontlines which had not made Levi happy. Nor did it make Eren either.

"Don't go anywhere where I can't see you," Levi told him. "I don't want to lose sight of you for any reason."

"Likewise," Eren growled at him. He was on his toes as the energy of the place was getting on his nerves.

Levi took a good look at him from head to toe. "Once we are outside-"

"I'll transform," Eren injected. "I know, I know." He was wearing only a robe. Eren was overall antsy with anticipation. He had decided with Levi that he would transform into his wolf form and stay in it unless it became necessary to transform out of it.

Levi's fingers circled around Eren's wrist. He stepped into Eren's personal space. He didn't need to tell the werewolf that he was scared. "Eren, don't do anything rash when the battle begins. Let the others do the dangerous approaches. We'll be the support, okay?"

"Okay," Eren said, nodding. He gave into an urge and kissed Levi. The vampire's lips softened under his into a sweet kiss. Eren just had to say, "If something happens, know that I love you."

Levi hissed bitterly. "Don't even dare to say something like that." The vampire did not want to think about losing Eren completely. He was prepared for minor injuries but nothing as drastic as Eren losing his life. That he did not even want to prepare for!

"But it is a-"

"No," Levi growled. "Don't think about it. I'm not letting you die at the hands of those monsters. I am planning on growing old with you."

Levi's words warmed Eren's heart and made him smile despite the situation. "Me too," the werewolf answered.

Soon their wait was over and the first groups were told to march forth. The plan was to position themselves into a pincer attack. A group from the northwest would cause a ruckus that would be long enough for them to approach the wall unnoticed. After that all was in the hands of god if they managed to climb up and overtake a crucial tower.

Armin and Jean had been assigned to the group that was going northwest. It was fortunate, or unfortunate, that Kenny was also in the group.

"Don't worry, little furry heads. Me and my buddies will keep the humans busy. You just have to look pretty and sit back. I'd hate to see what Levi would do to me if anything happened to the two of you," Kenny said to them as they made their way to their designated spot.

Everything had to be done in utmost silence when they got nearer the Barracks. There was no room for error. If the humans noticed their approach then they'd lose their element of surprise and the whole plan would be worthless.

Armin was not happy with the way the plan had been put together. It did work but could have been better. A lot better if the vampires had truly taken in account the strengths of the werewolves.

So their plan was to start shooting at the humans from the safety of the forest. The range should be enough or so Kenny had explained beforehand. They would hide their main force deeper into the woods so that the humans would not get too alarmed. Armin had been tasked with blowing the dog whistle. His instructions had been clear: Once the attention of the humans was on the northwest side of the Barracks, he should blow the whistle for and long as he could, making sure that the werewolves on the other side of the Barracks would hear it.

Most of the werewolves had been left to rest so that they could attack during the day. They would be joined by a few vampires too since the weather was cloudy and with some luck it would be so during the day as well.

But overall their battle plans revolved around night time. Night time had it's advantages as humans had poor eyesight in the dark which vampires and werewolves did not. But prolonging the attack to both night and day meant that the humans would be exhausted and easily conquered.

One job of Armin's group was to set part of the Barracks on fire. They intended to burn out the sleeping area of the humans so they would not be able to rest, their belongings would burn and that would hopefully lower their moral. Losing things usually had that effect.

But they were not going to burn the place down just yet. First they would infiltrate the place as well and gain a foothold within the Barracks if things didn't go smoothly. The order to burn the place was to be put in action at the break of dawn. They did not want to give the humans any extra light during the night. Part of their plan was first to make sure that they took out any sources of light they saw. Which was not going to be easy, but manageable.

"_Darkness is our mistress," _had one of the vampires said.

Armin thought it had been a bit over dramatic way to say such a thing. He might have rolled his eyes when he heard the phrase but he had made sure the vampire in question did not see.

They arrived at their destination after an hour of walking. They had brought all of the weapons they could carry with them and the werewolves could only marvel the strength of the vampires who showed no sign of being tired from carrying the huge load of guns and ammo.

All they could do was wait until the other groups were ready. The werewolves were essential to that part as well. They would be using the whistles in this case as well. So Armin and Jean's job was to listen to the sound of it to know when their comrades were at their position. This was also one reason why they would stay as silent as possible.

It should take an hour longer for the other group to reach their destination. So while they waited Kenny gave out orders to his buddies, whispering as quietly as he could. All he did say was was small things, all important things had been said a long time ago. He made sure his friends were in high spirits but still stayed calm to get the job done. Their goal was to shoot every single human who came into their sights.

Their target would be the tower that overlooked northwest. The humans did not have any good lights so they couldn't see far from their walls but the snow covering the ground reflected all possible light, making the world around them look brighter. If they made the mistake of going out there recklessly their forces would be shot down before they made much of progress.

It was natural for everyone to be a little bit nervous but Kenny's words soothed the last bit of it away. The vampires lined up as soon as Armin and Jean told them they heard the whistle going off in the south.

So far they could see only two men guarding the tower. The vampires crept to the edge of the forest, loaded their guns and took aim. The guns should reach the wall. If they did not then they would be in trouble.

Kenny once more reminded them that they did not necessarily need to kill anyone. All they had to do was cause a huge ruckus. Kenny gave a glance to Armin and Jean, nodding his head in order to blow the whistle whenever they thought was necessary.

They took the humans by surprise when the first shots fired off without further notice.

Armin knew he had to wait a moment before blowing the whistle. The humans had to believe that there was no one else but them attacking them but he couldn't wait too long or they would realize they should keep an eye out on from the other towers.

Armin counted seconds.

_Not yet, not yet, not yet! _

He needed to wait. Just a little more… Let the humans run towards the tower. Let them panic for just a little longer.

Then he blew the whistle.

Shouts echoed from the Barracks when the shooting did not stop, the vampires did their best to shoot down the guards that were in the tower but the distance threw their aim off a little. Still they managed to shoot one of the guards and wound the other one.

That gave Kenny's group enough time to send people running towards the wall. One of those people was Jean who in his wolf form was way faster than any of the vampires. He reached the wall first, hugging it so he was out of sight. Armin was fast to follow after him, overtaking some of the vampires who were still running.

Some of the vampires were carrying climbing equipment. They wasted no time with it. They climbed the wall while a small group of vampires had stayed behind to offer support to them with guns. Behind the northwest wall was the sleeping quarters of the soldiers residing within the Barracks.

But before they could reach those sleeping quarters they had to overtake the tower first.

"Aargh!" one of the human guards screamed when a vampire climbed over the wall and into the tower. That guard was soon silenced by the said vampire. The guard's limp body fell to the ground as the vampire made sure the other guard they had shot was dead as well. More vampires joined him in the tower but at the same time humans tried to make their way to the top of the tower. The vampires swiftly took care of each one of them. The vampires put out the lights in the tower, making it extremely hard for anyone aiming for it to shoot anyone.

Rest of their group made their way to the wall as well. Soon enough the whole group, fifty vampires and two werewolves had infiltrated the Barracks.

The ruckus they had caused had been big enough to create that chance. The timing of the simultaneous attacks had been good. While Kenny's group had been in action the bigger group in south had had their own battle as well.

A handful of werewolves were part of the bigger group. Eren was worried for their safety as they heard the whistle sound coming from the northwest. Without wasting time the group of werewolves broke into a run. They were the ones who would secure the climb spot and tower this time. The vampires would wait that the werewolves had conquered the tower before they would make their way over as well.

Levi did not like this fact at all. He had to let Eren go. All he could do was watch him run with his pack members off to a dangerous mission.

The distance should be fine when it came to their bond. Eren wouldn't be that far away. Levi closed his eyes as he waited. He couldn't watch as Eren got further and further away from him. Their bond was telling him to move, to go and protect his mate. He had to fight the urge. He would make fool of himself if he ran after Eren now, not that he cared much about that. He could endanger their mission as well if he did that.

He thought handling the bond was supposed to get easier as time went on but right now he felt as if he couldn't let Eren out of his sight without feeling anxious. It didn't put his mind at ease at all that Uri was within this same group as him. Uri aside, Levi didn't trust anyone in this big group. They could easily overlook Eren and leave him to die or even kill him if they were bloodthirsty. They _had _been given an order not to drink any of the human's blood because of the possibility that they had been vaccinated. It was almost certain that they had been. Which meant the werewolves were the only source of food around here.

Levi had a bad feeling about it. A sick feeling churning inside his stomach. As soon as blood started spilling who knew what unmated vampires were going to do? They were unpredictable creatures. Levi himself hadn't really given any thought whom he fed from, whom he killed before he mated Eren. He hadn't seen it as important even if he had not killed senselessly. He didn't see any pleasure in killing people he had nothing against. But now he had a very large group he wanted to wipe off the face of the earth.

He was sure Eren shared the feeling.

* * *

><p>The group of werewolves made it to the wall and their way over it as well. The two guards in the tower had not noticed the approaching danger until it was too late.<p>

Bunch of naked men and women suddenly crowded the tower. The two guards had their necks snapped. They took out the lights of the tower and descended down but not before signalling the vampires that it was okay to proceed.

Their attack was fast, the humans were not able to defend their towers but they didn't really need to and that was when the attackers ran into a problem.

The middle buildings of the Barracks were the commanding ones and they were formed in a rectangle formation. They created a formidable fortress in middle of the whole compound that one could not approach without being seen and shot.

The sound of an alarm and through the air and the humans made haste to the middle of the compound. The werewolves tried to kill as many as they could before they were safe within the buildings.

Shots were fired.

"Retreat!" Grisha howled to his pack members and they retreated behind a building that had been left abandoned in the hassle. Grisha made sure all of them came back unharmed. He would leave the rest to the vampires for now. They needed to create an opening so they could take over the Barracks as a whole.

* * *

><p>"Oi, Armin and Jean," Kenny called out to the two werewolves. "You two should stand back while we take care of this section." The old vampire didn't want the youngsters shedding too much blood at such a young age.<p>

Armin and Jean were not in a hurry to join the killing anyway.

Kenny's group moved swiftly through the sleeping quarters of the soldiers. They managed to kill almost all of the ones who had been sleeping when the alarm went off. Some had been murdered in their beds while others had been caught half dressed or running out to see what was going on. The vampires did not hold back. They did not wait between targets.

As their assault was almost done and the last few had been caught and disposed off, shot rang over the area. Kenny's group regrouped in front of one of the buildings.

"We need to take out that tower." Kenny was referring to a tower that stood at the corner of the middle buildings, facing towards the sleeping quarters. "They can snipe us out up from there if we are not careful."

That was when their second command came into play. The torching the place plan. But it was not yet time for that. "We are stuck here until dawn if we don't smoke them out as fast as possible," one of Kenny's buddies said.

The older vampire nodded. "Yes but we'll wait just a bit longer. We might be able to get in touch with the others if we wait." Kenny was not happy about this. If he could choose he would set the place on fire at once and kill them all. "But while we wait," Kenny continued. "We can prepare ourselves to burning the place down. Gather everything worth burning out here and we'll make them a package they won't forget."


	51. Chapter 50 - April Fool

**Chapter 51**

* * *

><p>"Oooh Eren," Levi grabbed hold of his mate, sinking his hands into his fur. "Listen to me for a second."<p>

The werewolf turned his head towards him when he spoke. Eren looked curious as to what Levi had to say. He thought they had already spoken enough. Besides it was hard to hear what Levi was saying because of the loud gunshots.

"We ... are ...no …. strangers ...to... love!"

Eren was sure he heard even the few words he picked up wrong. He wouldn't be able to ask without transforming. _What? _

Levi picked upon his confusion and repeated. "We better find that bastard Erwin Smith. I want to strangle him. We'll see who gets the last laugh!"

Eren nodded. That made more sense.

Then Levi spoke again, "I can't wait to get my hands on him." The vampire looked agitated. The gunshots were distracting and ominous. Levi hoped no one got shot. He petted Eren and sighed. "You know the rules and so do I."

Eren cocked his head to the side, huh?

Levi hmph'd, "I said, I wanna sock him in the eye."

Eren shook his head. Maybe his hearing was damaged because of the gunshots?

"I'm cold," the vampire grumbled. That Eren heard loud and clear. "A full commitment's what I'm thinking of," Levi's voice reached his ears.

What on earth? In Eren's opinion Levi's words again made no sense.

"Are you deaf?" Levi asked. "I said a pair of mittens' what I'm thinking of." The vampire was basically burying himself into Eren's fur. They were waiting for the right moment to resume their attack. Then the vampire continued, "You wouldn't get this from any other guy."

Eren was sure he had gone crazy. Why was it so hard to understand him? Eren shook his head again. He didn't feel any pain in his ears. He hoped this would pass.

Levi was getting impatient with him. "What is wrong with you? Am I speaking in tongues or something? I said, you couldn't get any furrier than this, right. So soft." Levi was practically purring.

Eren was concerned. Levi was acting weird. Everything was weird. Eren's eyes widened when he felt a nibbling sensation on his skin. Was Levi going to bite him?

"I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling," Levi murmured against the soft fur around his face.

Eren couldn't take it anymore. He had to transform. "What on earth are you saying?" he asked from the vampire who acted like he was drunk.

"Eren!" Levi exclaimed. The vampire looked intoxicated to say the least. He smiled goofily.

"Are you feeling okay?" Eren asked, worried for his mate. This was not the time to be dealing with anything like this.

"Eren, listen, I gotta make you understand," the vampire whined. "I promise to you… I will never give you up or let you down. I'll never gonna run around and desert you or make you cry. I will never say goodbye and I'll never hurt you, you hear me?"

"What are you on about? You are my mate. Of course I know all of this. I'll skin your pale ass if you dare to break any of those promises. We've known each other for so long after all." Eren cupped Levi's face between his. Eren knew it was not wishful thinking when he had the feelings in his heart that were not his own. _Your heart's been aching, but you're too shy to say it. Inside, we both know what's been going on. We know the game and we're gonna play it, _he thought, knowing what was going on in Levi's heart. "And if you ask me how I'm feeling, don't tell me you're too blind to see," he told the vampire before pulling him into a passionate kiss.

While he smooched the sexiest vampire in the whole world he hoped that all of the readers of this story have/had a nice April's Fools day!


End file.
